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AN  IRISH  INTERIOR,  SHOWING  A  HAND  LOOM  WEAVER  AND  A  SPINNER. 
(From  a  Sketch  by  Charles   Whymfer  I 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED 


WITH  PEN  AND  PENCIL. 


BY 


RICHARD    LOVETT    M.A. 

REVISED  BY 

PROF.  E.  P.  THWING,  Ph.D.  Author  of  "  Out-door  Life  in  Europe,"  etc. 


ARDMORE,    COUNTY   WATERFOKD. 


NEW  YORK 
HURST    &    COMPANY. 


Copyright,  1891* 

BY 

HURST    &    COMPANY. 


A  CONNAUGHT   CABIN. 

{Front  a  Sketch  by  Charles  IVkytttfier.) 


CONTENTS   AND   LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Au   Irish   Interior,   Showing   a   Hand-Loom   Weaver   and   a 

Spinner Frontispiece 

Ardrnore,  County  Waterford   ......     Title-page 

A  Connaugkt  Cabin .     Page  5 

Refractory .  8 

The  Giant's  Causeway 10 

INTRODUCTION 11 

Holy  Cross  Abbey,  Tipperary 11 

Edmund  Burke        .........  14 

A  List  of  the  most  important  Works  consulted  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  this  Book 15 

An  Ancient  Circular  Window  in  the  Church  at  Rathain,  near 

Tullamore 15 

An  Ancient  Irish  Bell .16 

Map  of  Ireland 18 

3354 


CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER    I. 

Ireland's    Eye 


PAGE. 

Howth  Harbor  and  Ireland's  Eye        .  19 

The  Custom  House,  Dublin       ...      21 
Trinity  College  Library,  interior  .         .  22 

Initial,  the  letter  L,  from  the  Book  of  Kells  23 
Part  of  an  Illuminated  Monogram,  from  the 

Book  of  Kells 24 

An  Illuminated  Page  from  the  Book  of 

Durrow   .......      26 

Leather  Outer  Case  of  the  Book  of  Armagh, 
showing  the  Early  Irish  Tracery  Orna- 
mentation     27 

The  Cross  of  Cong 


PAGE. 

28 
29 


The  Choir,  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral    . 

Jonathan  Swift 

Trinity  College  and  the  Bank  of  Ireland, 

Dublin 31 

Interior  of  Christ  Church  as  restored        .      35 
The  Cumdach,  or  Case  of  St.  Molaise's  Gos- 
pels   37 

The   Shrine   of   St.  Patrick's  Bell        .  38 

The  Ardagh  Chalice         ....      39 

The  Tara  Brooch  (Obverse)  .        .  40 

(Reverse)      ...      41 

42 


CHAPTER    II. 
The  Garden  of  Ireland, 


The  Esplanade  and  Bray  Head 
Sugar-Loaf  Mountain     . 
The  Vale  of  Glendalough  . 


The  Dargle 


45  Powerscourt  Waterfall 

46  Powerscourt  House 

47  The  Scalp  . 

49  The  Vale  of  Avoca 


50 
51 
52 
55 


CHAPTER    III. 
The    Valley    of    the    Boyne. 


Drogheda  from  the  Railway  Bridge         .  60 

The  St.  Lawrence  Gate,  Drogheda         .  61 

The  Bridge,  Drogheda        ....  62 

The  Boyne  Obelisk        ....  63 

Ruins  of  the  Baptistery,  Mellifont    .         .  65 

The  Cross  of  Muiredach,  Monasterboice  66 


New  Grange 67 

Standing  Stones  at  New  Grange    .        .  68 

Entrance  to  New  Grange  ....      69 
Recess   in  the  Sepulchral   Chamber,  New 

Grange 70 

Round-Tower  of  Donaghmore       .        .  74 


CHAPTER    IV. 

From    Dublin    to    Cork 


St.  Brigid's  Church  and  the  Round-Tower, 

Kildare 77 

The  Doorway  in  the  Round-Tower  at  Kil- 
dare      78 

St.  Canice's  Steps,  Kilkenny      ...      79 
The  Rock  of  Cashel       ....  80 

The  Interior  of  Cormac's  Chapel,  Cashel .      81 

Blarney  Castle 


North  Doorway,  Cormac's  Chapel,  Cashel  82 
Crosier  found  on  opening  a  Tomb  in  Cor- 
mac's Chapel,  Cashel  ....  83 
The  Cross  of  Cashel  ....  84 
General  View  of  Cork  ....  85 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh's  House  at  Youghal  87 

Kilcolman  Castle 88 

90 


CONTEXTS. 


CHAPTER    Y. 
Glengariff,  KIllarney,  and  Valentia. 


Glengariff 

The  Upper  Lake  of  Killarney 

McGilliouddy  Eeeks  . 

Ross  Castle,  Killarney  . 

The  Pike     .  .        . 

The  Eagle's  Nest,  Killaruey  . 

The  Old  Weir  Bridge,  Killarney 

Irmisfalleri,  Killaruey     . 

The  Choir  of  Muckross  Abbey 


PAGE.  PAGE. 

92  Tore  Waterfall,  Killarney  .        .        .105 

93  A  Kerry  Cabin  and  its  Inhabitants       .        107 

96      Valentia,  two  views 108 

98  Map,  showing  the  Skelligs    ...        109 

100  The  Great  Skellig Ill 

101  TheGannet 113 

102  The  Ancient  Staircase  on  the  Great  Skellig  115 

103  Plan  of  the  Monastery  on  the  Great  Skellig  117 
101  A  Stone  Oratory  at  Sallerus,  County  Kerry  120 


CHAPTER    VI. 

The     Shannon 


Athlone  Castle 121 

At  Castle  Connel 122 

The  House  in  which  Maria  Edgeworth  lived  123 
The  Library  in  which  Maria  Edgeworth 


wrote  ....... 

Oliver  Goldsmith       ..... 

Doorway  of  Temple  Conor  Church,  Clon- 

macnois      ...... 

The  large  Round-Tower  and  the  Crosses 

at  Clonmacnois 


Doorway   of   the  Larger  Round-Tower  at 

Clonmacnois       .....  129 

Crosier  found  at  Clonmacnois   .        .        .  131 

Thomond  Bridge,  Limerick  .        .        .  132 

King  John's  Castle,  Limerick        .        .  134 

The  Treaty  Stone,  Limerick      .        .        .  134 

Kilkee  from  the  Coastguard  Station     .  135 

Cliffs  near  Kilkee 136 

128      Cliffs  and  Natural  Arch  near  Ballybunnion  137 


124 
125 

127 


CHAPTER    VII. 


Connemara. 


Blessing  the  Claddagh  Fleet  at  the  Begin- 
ning of  the  Fishiug  Season   .        .        .  140 

Clew  Bay 141 

A  Galway  Woman  (Initial)        .        .        .  141 

The  Cliffs  of  Moher       ....  142 

Peat  Cutting 143 

Queen's  College,  Galway       .        .        .  144 

Salmon  Poaching  on  the  Corrib        .         .  145 

Hook  for  Poaching  Salmon  .         .         .  146 

Going  to  Market  , 


An  Arran  Islander 147 

The  Curragh 148 

Cong  Abbey 149 

The  Outlet  of  Lough  Mask  ...  150 

Glendalough 151 

The  Pins  of  Bunnabeola        .        .        .  152 

Kylemore 153 

Catching  Salmon  with  a  Seine      .         .  154 

Killala 155 

156 


CHAPTER    VIII. 
The    Donegal    Highlands. 


Donegal 


Donegal  Peasants 


Donegal  Castle 157 

The  East  Window,  Sligo  Abbey    .        .        158 
The  Cloisters,  Sligo  Abbey        .        .        .158      Mount  Errigal    . 
Carrigan  Head,  Donegal        .        .        .        159      The  Natural  Arch,  Horn  Head 

The  Seven  Arches,  Lough  Swilly      .        .    174 


163 
166 
168 
171 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


Belfast,    Armagh,    and    Londonderry. 


Queen's  College,  Belfast 
Castle  Place,  Belfast 
The  Albert  Memorial     . 
The  Linen  Hall,  Belfast    . 
A  Group  of  Belfast  Operatives 
Antrim  Castle    , 


PAGE.  PAGE- 

176  Londonderry 182 

177  The  Bishop's  Gate,  Londonderry      .        .  183 

178  Bombshell  and  Tablet  in  the  Porch  of  Lon- 

179  donderry  Cathedral    ....  183 
179  Koaring  Meg,  and   Walker's  Monument, 

181  Londonderry  ,,.,..  184 


CHAPTER    X. 

The  Giant's  Causeway,    and  the  Mourne  Mountains. 
The  Chimney  Tops,  Giant's  Causeway     .    186     The  Horizontal  Formation,  Giant's  Cause- 


Carnck  a  Eede       .  187     Pleaskin  Head>  Giant's  Causeway.        .        192 

The  Ladies'  Chair,  Giant's  Causeway  .        191     Grey  Man's  Path  ....    193 

"  Farewell,  yer  Honor ! "        .        .        .        195 


Ti^p^c^ 


>* 

1 

■a 


HOLY    CROSS   ABBEY,  TIPPERARY. 


INTRODUCTION. 


COR  some  time  past  many  of  those  acquainted  with  our  Illustrated  Series  have  ex- 
pressed the  wish  that  Ireland  could  be  added  to  the  list.  England  Illustrated  has 
long  been  a  favorite;  the  three  more  recent  volumes  India,  Germany,  and  Egypt  ffltis- 
trated  have  had  a  warm  welcome;  it  seems  hardly  fair  that  the  Emerald  Isle  should  any 
longer  be  omitted. 

It  would  be  idle  to  deny  that  Ireland,  even  from  this  point  of  view,  presents  difficul- 
ties not  experienced  in  the  case  of  the  sister  kingdoms.  Readers  may  naturally  expect 
to  find  in  any  elaborate  book  upon  Ireland  issued  at  the  present  moment,  some  refer- 


INTRODUCTION. 

ence  to  the  burning  questions  of  the  hour  ;  such,  for  example,  as  the  relation  of  tenant 
to  landlord,  or  the  expediency  of  Home  Rule.  Absorbing  and  important  as  these 
questions  are,  the  author  trusts  that  it  will  not  detract  from  either  the  interest  or  the 
value  of  this  work  when  the  reader  discovers  they  have  been  rigidly  excluded.  It  has 
not  come  within  the  author's  province  to  discuss  them.  His  object  is  wider,  and,  it 
may  be  hoped,  no  less  useful. 

He  seeks  to  give  pen  and  pencil  pictures  of  all  parts  of  Ireland ;  to  produce  upon 
the  mind  of  the  reader,  so  far  as  it  is  possible  with  the  means  at  his  command,  the  im- 
pressions that  a  journey  through  the  country  would  make  upon  an  observant  and  un- 
prejudiced mind.  This  need  not  and  does  not  indicate  indifference  to  political  issues. 
Far  from  it.  But  evidence  is  not  lacking  to  show  that  the  inhabitants  of  England, 
Scotland,  and  Wales  do  not  know  as  much  as  they  might  and  ought  about  their  Irish 
brethren,  and  the  land  in  which  they  dwell.  The  glorious  scenery  of  Donegal  and 
Kerry,  the  picturesque  ruins  of  Cashel  and  the  Lower  Shannon,  the  industries  of  Bel- 
fast and  Limerick,  the  splendid  past  of  Ireland  —  her  early  Church-life,  her  missionary 
enthusiasm,  her  literature,  architecture,  and  art  —  present  many  subjects  for  considera- 
tion and  study  that  ought  to  command  the  attention  alike  of  ardent  Nationalists, 
staunch  Conservatives,  and  those  who  may  be  unable  to  sympathize  heartily  with 
either  section. 

The  United  Kingdom  possesses  no  fairer  regions  than  Killarney  and  Connemara  ;  no 
wilder  coast  scenes  than  the  lofty  cliffs  and  bold  headlands  that  bear,  at  Valentia,  Moher, 
Achill  Island  and  Slieve  League,  the  whole  unbroken  force  of  the  mighty  Atlantic,  and 
dash  into  driving  foam  its  wildest  waves.  There  are  no  more  interesting  people  among 
the  rural  populations  of  Europe  than  such  peasantry  as  the  traveler  meets  in  the  Golden 
Vale  of  Tipperary,  along  the  mountain  routes  of  Kerry,  and  amid  the  lovely  scenery  of 
Galway,  Donegal,  Antrim,  and  Wexford. 

Sad  and  troubled  as  much  of  the  past  of  Ireland  has  been,  she  has  no  reason  to  fear 
comparison  in  regard  to  the  men  she  has  produced.  No  section  of  Great  Britain  can 
show  abler  men  in  their  respective  spheres  of  life  than  Patrick1  and  Columba,  Brian 
Boru  and  Shane  O'Neill,  James  Ussher  and  Bishop  Berkeley,  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
and  Lord  Gough,  Oliver  Goldsmith  and  Edmund  Burke,  Henry  Grattan  and  Daniel 
O'Connell. 

There  is  so  much  information,  both  interesting  and  also  not  generally  known,  con- 
nected with  the  early  Irish  Church,  with  various  periods  of  Irish  history,  and  with  the 

1  The  Scotch  claim  Patrick  as  being  born  on  their  soil.     This,  though  probable,  is  not  certain  ;  yet  his  influence  and  work  were 
certainly  Irish. 

12 


INTRODUCTION. 

art  and  architecture  of  Ireland,  that  the  author  had  contemplated  giving  separate  chapters 
to  each  of  these  subjects.  But  limitations  of  space,  and  the  fact  that  these  "  Illustrated  " 
volumes  are  intended  for  popular  reading,  have  compelled  him  in  this  respect  to  depart 
from  his  original  plan.  But  he  has  not  felt  it  right  to  omit  these  important  subjects  al- 
together, and  hence  they  have  been  briefly  treated  as  each  seem  to  arise  naturally  in 
the  progress  of  the  work.  For  example,  the  description  of  the  Royal  Irish  Academy 
Museum  in  Dublin  has  been  made  somewhat  full,  in  order  that  the  chief  peculiarities 
of  Irish  art,  as  illustrated  by  its  most  brilliant  achievements,  may  be  indicated.  The 
MSS.  of  Trinity  College  Library  have  been  referred  to  at  length,  to  enable  the  reader  to 
appreciate  the  marvelous  ability  of  the  ancient  scribes  who  wrote  and  illuminated  them. 
The  personal  history  of  St.  Patrick  naturally  accompanies  a  description  of  Slane  and 
of  Tara  Hill,  as  some  reference  to  that  of  St.  Columba  naturally  fits  in  with  a  descrip- 
tion of  Donegal.  The  origin  and  uses  of  the  Round-towers — that  vexed  question — can 
not  be  passed  over,  and  it  is  dealt  with  in  the  description  of  Clonmacnois,  where,  within 
a  few  yards  of  each  other,  two  very  fine  examples  have  stood  for  centuries.  In  this  less 
formal  way  he  has  sought — he  trusts  not  less  satisfactorily — to  deal  with  all  these  sub- 
jects. 

The  author  has  had  to  treat  the  religious  difficulties  of  Ireland  in  much  the  same 
way  as  the  political.  The  tangled  and  tragic  story  of  the  past  is  one  that  neither  Pro- 
testant nor  Roman  Catholic  can  find  any  pleasure  in  recalling.  The  conflicting  currents 
and  forces  that  influence  the  religious  life  of  Ireland  to-day  have  been  briefly  indicated 
in  the  chapter  on  Belfast.  Notwithstanding  the  experience  of  the  past,  and  the  evidence 
of  so  much  that  is  conflicting  in  the  present,  the  author  ventures  to  hope  that  better 
times  are  in  store  for  the  sister  kingdom. 

The  writer  has  sought  to  give  brief,  pointed,  and  accurate  descriptions  of  all  that  is 
most  distinctive  in  Irish  scenery  ;  to  present  a  varied  and  thoroughly  representative 
series  of  engravings ;  to  glance  at  some  of  the  most  noteworthy  men  and  deeds  of  the 
past ;  and  to  catch  and  depict,  so  far  as  his  pen  can,  the  most  typical  aspects  of  the  Ire- 
land of  to-day. 

How  far  he  has  been  successful  must  be  decided  by  those  who  have  already  given 
a  kindly  welcome  to  the  three  volumes,  India,  Germany  and  Egypt  Illustrated.  He  can 
only  hope  that  the  Irish  readers  into  whose  hands  the  book  may  fall  will  accept  his  ap- 
preciation of,  and  admiration  for,  the  land  they  love  so  well  as  some  atonement  for  the 
failings  they  may  observe  in  his  work.  As  for  other  readers,  he  will  feel  amply  re- 
warded for  the  time  and  labor  expended  upon  Ireland  Illustrated  if  the  book  enlarges 

their  knowledge  of  the  land  known  more  than  fourteen  centuries  ago  as  "the  Sacred 

13 


INTRODUCTION. 

Isle,"  and  helps  to  promote  brotherly  sympathy  toward  a  people  whose  history  has  for 
some  centuries  in  varied  phases  been  so  closely  interwoven  with  that  of  the  English, 
Welsh,  and  Scottish  races. 

The  author  would  gratefully  acknowledge  the  help  so  courteously  given  to  him  by 
the  large  number  of  those  whom  he  met  during  his  various  journeys  through  Ireland,  or 
to  whom  he  applied  for  special  information.  He  had  many  opportunities  of  testing  the 
courtesy  and  hospitality  of  the  Irish  people,  and,  like  others  who  have  borne  similar 
testimony,  never  found  these  fail. 


EDMUND  .BURKE. 


AN  ANCIENT  CIRCULAR  WINDOW   IN   THE  CHURCH  AT  RATHAIN,   Near  TULLAMORE. 


A  List  of  some  of  the  most   important    Works  consulted  in   the  preparation  of  this 

Book. 

The  books  included  in  this  list  are  all  important  in  their  respective  depart- 
ments, and  they  are  printed  here  as  a  convenient  reference  list  for  any  who  may 
wish  to  study  somewhat  more  fully  the  various  subjects  of  interest  connected  with 
Ireland  and  the  Irish  people.  The  list  makes  no  pretension  to  completeness.  It 
only  seeks  to  indicate  a  selection  of  the  most  important  and  most  easily  accessible 
works. 


Annals  of  the  Kingdom  of  Ireland. — By  Four  Wasters.     Translated  by  John  O'Donovan.     4  vols,  quartc. 

1851. 
Ulster  Journal  of  Archeology,  i 853—1861. — 9  vols,  small  quarto. 
The  Journals  of  the  Royal  Historical  and  Archaeological  Association  of  Ireland. 
Descriptive  Catalogue  of  the  Royal  Irish  Academy. — By  Sir  W.  Wilde. 
History  of  Ireland. — By  Keating. 
Irish  Names  of  Places. — By  P.  W.  Joyce,  LL.  D.     2  vols,  crown  8vo. 


LIST  OF  WORKS  CONSULTED. 

National  MSS.  of  Ireland. — By  John  T.  Gilbert. 

Adamnan's  Life  of  St.  Columba. — Edited  by  Dr.  Reeves.      I  vol.  quarto.      1857. 

St.   Patrick,   Apostle  of  Ireland. — By  Dr.  Todd.      1  vol.  octavo.      1864. 

The  Tripartite  Life  of  St.  Patrick. — Edited  for  the  Rolls  Series  by  Dr.  Whitley  Stokes.     2  vols,  octavo. 

1887. 
The  Writings  of  St.  Patrick. —Revised  translation  by  G.  T.   Stokes,    D.D.,  and  C.  H.  H.  Wright,  D.D. 

1  vol.  octavo,  paper  cover.     1888. 
Ireland  and  the  Celtic  Church. — By  G.  T.  Stones.      1  vol.  crown  8vo. 
The  Round-Towers  and  Ancient   Christian  Architecture   of  Ireland. — By  Dr.  Petrie.       1  vol.   quarto. 

1845- 
Notes  on   Irish  Architecture. — By  the  late   Earl  of  Dunraven.     Edited   by  Miss  Stokes.     2  vols,  folio. 

1875-1877. 

Early  Christian  Architecture  in  Ireland. — By  Miss  Stokes. 

Early  Christian  Art  in  Ireland. — By  Miss  Stokes. 

Ecclesiastical  History  of  Ireland.  —By  Dr.  Killen.     2  vols,  octavo. 

The  Dublin  Penny  Journal,  1832-1836. — 4  vols,  royal  octavo. 

The  Irish  Penny  Journal,  1841. — 1  vol.  royal  octavo. 

The  Boyne  and  the  Blackwater. — By  Sir  William  Wilde.      2nd  edition,  1850. 

Lough  Corrib. — By  Sir  William  Wilde. 

The  Donegal  Highlands. 

Traits  and  Stories  of  the  Irish  Peasantry. — By  William  Carleton.     2  vols.  8vo.      1867. 

Tales  and  Stories  of  the  Irish  Peasantry. — By  William  Carleton.      1  vol.  8vo.      1846. 

Fairy  Legends  and  Traditions. — By  T.  C.  Croker. 

The  Ballads  of  Ireland. — Edited  by  E.  Hayes.     2  vols,  crown  octavo.     Boston,  1856. 

Derry  and  Enniskillen. — By  Professor  Witherow,  D.D. 

The  Boyne  and  Aghrim. — By  Professor  Witherow,  D.D. 

Ireland  :  Its  Scenery,  Character,  etc — By  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  C.  Hall.     3  vols,  octavo. 

Sketches  ©f  Irish  Life. — By  Mrs.  S.  C.  Hall.     1  vol.  octavo. 

Memories  of  a  Month  Among  the  "Mere  Irish." — By  W.  H.  Floredice.      1  vol.  crown  8vo. 

The  Religious  History  of  Ibeland. — By  James  Godkin.     1  vol.  8vo.      1873. 


AN  ANCIENT  IRISH   BELL. 


HOWTH  HARBOR  AND  IRELAND  S  EYE. 


CHAPTER  I. 


Dublin,  Ireland's  Eye. 


T  RELAND'S  EYE  is  the  name  of  a  rocky  islet  standing  over  against  Howth  Har- 
*■  bor,  for  many  years  the  port  of  Dublin  and  the  chief  approach  by  sea  to  that 
capital.  The  island's  name  is  no  bad  description  of  Dublin.  The  great  city  is  in  more 
senses  than  one  Ireland's  Eye.  Through  it  the  Emerald  Isle  receives  many  of  her 
impressions  of  the  outer  world,  and  no  fairer  feature  in  her  wealth  of  natural  beauty 
•does  she  possess  than  the  noble  bay  of  Dublin,  with  the  great  city  nestling  beneath  the 
bold  headlands  of  Killiney  and  the  Hill  of  Howth. 

The  first  impression  made  upon  the  mind  of  the  observer  by  Dublin  is  one  of  dis- 
appointment. The  city  hardly  seems  to  live  up  to  its  environment.  The  scenery  of 
the  bay  is  very  lovely,  whether  seen  in  the  early  morning  or  the  late  evening  of  a  sum- 
mer's day.  The  view  up  the  Liffey  as  the  steamer  approaches  the  North  Wall, 
embracing  the  river,  the  crowded  masts  and  boats,  the  fine  dome  of  the  Custom  House 
in  the  near  foreground,  and  the  multitudinous  roofs  and  spires  of  the  city  in  the  dis- 
tance, is  enticing,  and  whets  the  appetite  and  expectations  of  the  explorer.  But  the 
close  inspection  does  not  realize  the  distant  promise.  It  is  not  easy  to  define  the  effect 
produced  as  one  makes  the  acquaintance  of  the  quays,  Sackville  Street,  St.  Patricks 
Cathedral,  Merrion  Square,  and  College  Green.    There  are  handsome  buildings,  wide 

19 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

streets,  spacious  squares,  many  evidences  of  life,  prosperity  and  abundance,  and  yet 
something  seems  lacking.  Dublin  is  not  like  London,  New  York,  Paris,  or  Amster- 
dam. In  these  great  cities,  differing  widely  as  they  do  in  manifold  respects  from  each 
other,  the  evidences  of  prosperity  predominate  ;  in  Dublin,  although  she  shares  many 
of  the  best  qualities  of  her  larger  sisters,  the  stranger,  although  he  may  have  a  firm 
conviction  that  better  times  are  coming,  hesitates  to  assert  that  she  is  manifestly  pros- 
pering. 

While  this  impression  is  strong,  the  visitor  can  readily  imagine  that  many  take  an 
early  and  sometimes  incurable  dislike  to  Dublin.  The  signs  of  apparent  poverty  are 
plentiful  ;  the  streets  and  buildings  that  really  please  the  eye  are  few,  the  number  of 
rao-o-ed  children  seems  abnormal  ;  and  if  the  visitor  to  St.  Patrick's  or  Christ  Church 
devotes  any  attention  to  the  neighborhoods  of  these  noted  buildings,  he  meets  many 
interesting  but  not  pleasing  pictures  of  human  life.  Yet  the  writer  gladly  admits  that 
Dublin's  power  to  impress  him  favorably  increased  with  each  successive  visit.  As  he 
came  to  know  her  better,  he  grew  to  like  her  more,  and  to  appreciate  more  fully  the 
beauty  of  her  surroundings,  and  the  special  objects  for  which  she  claims  recognition. 
It  is  now  time  to  turn  to  some  of  these. 

Dublin  is  in  the  first  place  a  considerable  port.  The  Liffey,  the  quays,  and  docks,, 
and  the  canals  are  among  the  most  prominent  features  of  the  metropolis.  It  is  from 
the  river,  indeed,  that  she  gets  her  name  as  well  as  a  large  portion  of  her  wealth. 
The  ancient  high  road  from  Tara  to  Wicklow  crossed  the  river  at  this  point  in  very 
early  days  by  means  of  a  rough  wicker  or  hurdle  bridge.  Naturally  a  city  grew  up 
around  the  bridge  or  ford,  and  the  name  for  Dublin  in  the  Irish  Annals  is  Ath-Cliath 
(pronounced  Ah-clee),  'the  ford  of  the  hurdles.'  Duibh-linn,  the  black  pool,  the 
ancient  name  of  this  part  of  the  Liffey,  gradually  banished  the  older,  and  has  long  been 
the  only  name  by  which  the  city  is  known.  The  ancient  ford  is  now  represented  by 
splendid  bridges.  The  cluster  of  huts  has  expanded  into  square  miles  of  brick  and 
mortar,  and  the  water  which  ages  since  floated  the  coracles  of  the  Irish  or  the  warships 
of  the  Northmen  is  now  ploughed  by  the  bulky  steel  ships  of  modern  commerce.  All 
else  has  changed  marvellously,  but  in  the  very  name  of  Ireland's  capital  there  survives 
the  sure  evidence  of  her  former  humility. 

To   get   a    good    representative    view   of    Dublin    a   favorite    point   of    view   is 
the  top  of  the  Nelson  Monument,  which  towers  aloft  in   the  centre  of  Sackville  Street. 
Seen  thence  the  whole  city  lies  spread  out  at  the  observer's  feet,  and  from  that  eleva- 
tion, as  from  no  other,  he  also  sees  the  beauty  of  the  surrounding  country.  Some  very 
fine  distant  views  are  obtained  at  Phoenix  Park.     But  the  true  citizen  of  Dublin  main- 
tains that  the  view  obtained  from  the  O'Connell  Bridge  is  the  best  that  the  city  can  show, 
equal  to  any  that  rival  capitals  possess.     On  the  left  bank  of  the  Liffey,  near  the  great 
bridge-,  stands  one  of  the  most  prominent  buildings  in  the  city,  viz.  the  Custom  House. 
Dublin   is  not  only  the  eye  but  the  heart  of  Ireland.     Hence  on  every  side  are 
traces  of  the  many-sided  life  of  the  nation.     Her  antiquity  is  evident  in  many  of  her 
names.     Her  former  national  life   is  recalled  by  the  building  that  is  now  the  Bank  of 
Ireland.     It  was  here  in  former  days  the  Irish  Parliament  met,  and  here  many  of  Cur- 
ran's  and  Grattan's  famous  speeches  were  delivered.      Her  relation  to  England  is  kept 
prominently  in  view  by  the  towers  and  courtyard  of  Dublin  Castle.     Her  educational 
and  literary  life  of  the  last  three  centuries  has  largely  centered  in  Trinity  College,  which 
20 


IRELAND'S  EVE. 

fronts  boldly  and  closely  upon  an  open  space  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city,  the  famous 
College  Green.  To  her  great  religious  hero  is  dedicated  one  of  her  two  ancient  cathe- 
drals, and  though  the  statement  that  St.  Patrick  founded  it  is  mere  fancy,  it  is  fitting 
that  he  should  for  centuries  have  been  thus  associated  with  the  metropolitan  life.  In 
the  center  of  College  Green,  facing  the  fine  facade  of  Trinity  College,  stands  the  statue 
of  Grattan.  Before  the  gateway  of  the  great  university  are  placed  statues  of  Edmund 
Burke  and  Oliver  Goldsmith.  Brilliant  political  oratory,  fervid  patriotism,  noble  elo- 
quence, far-seeing  statesmanship,  and  undying  literary  fame  are  here  concentered  and 
kept  continually  before  the  eyes  and  the  minds  of  the  multitudes  who  daily  throne 
Grafton  Street  and  College  Green. 

And  indeed  here  is  the  true  heart  of  Dublin.  Much  of  the  business  of  the  city  is 
carried  on  in  this  district  ;  much  of  her  intellectual  activity  here  finds  its  home  and 
field  of  work  ;  the  financial  heart  of  the  country  throbs  here,  and  here  blend  the  asso- 


THE   CUSTOM    HOUSE,  DUBLIN. 

ciations  of  the  present  and  the  memories  of  the  past  in  stronger  and  more  vigorous 
union  than  elsewhere. 

The  foundation  of  Trinity  College  dates  from  i5q2,  and  the  institution  began  the 
work  of  teaching  in  1593  as  "The  College  of  the  Holy  and  Indivisible  Trinity  near 
Dublin,"  in  the  buildings  of  the  Augustinian  monastery  of  All  Hallows.  During  the 
reigns  of  James  Land  Charles  I.  it  was  richly  endowed  with  confiscated  lands.  Many 
private  benefactors  endowed  it.  James  I.  conferred  also  the  privilege  it  still  enjoys  of 
sending  two  members  to  Parliament.  It  was  not  until  1792  that  a  Roman  Catholic  could 
there  take  a  degree,  and  not  until  1873  could  any  member  of  that  communion  enjoy  any 
part  of  the  rich  endowments  possessed  by  the  College. 

The  facade  facing  College  Green  is  somewhat  heavy  and  somber.  It  is  very  mas- 
sive, and  is  principally  built  of  Portland  stone  ;  but  it  at  once  arrests  the  attention  of 
the  passer-by,  and  the  effect  is  by  no  means  unpleasing.  Passing  between  the  statues 
of  Burke  and  Goldsmith  which  flank  the  entrance,  the  visitor  is  admitted  into  a  spacious 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

quadrangle,  in  the  center  of  which  stands  a  tall,  handsome  bell-tower  built  of  granite 
On  his  right  hand  stands  the  Examination  Hall  or  Theater,  and  on  the  left  the  Chapel, 
with  the  Dining  Hall  as  its  next  neighbor.  Both  Halls  are  enriched  with  portraits  of 
famous  students  and  graduates. 

It  is  to  the  right  of  the  bell  tower  that  most  visitors  make  their  first  pilgrimage,  for 
there  stands  the  handsome  range  of  buildings  containing  the  Library.  It  is  included 
among  the  five  great  libraries  of  the    kingdom  entitled  to  a  copy  of  every  book  pub- 


TRINITY   COLLEGE   LIBRARY,    INTERIOR. 

lished  in  Great  Britain  and  Ireland.  The  architecture  is  plain  and  unpretending,  yet, 
possessing  a  dignity  of  its  own,  and  a  certain  fitness  as  the  home  of  a  great  literary  col- 
lection. The  ground  floor  consists  chiefly  of  an  arcade.  The  library  building  occupies 
the  rest  of  the  structure.  The  main  apartment  is  a  splendid  gallery  containing  the  bulk 
of  the  books.  This  is  210  feet  long,  41  feet  wide,  and  40  feet  high.  The  wood  is 
dark,  old  oak.  Along  each  side  are  recesses  placed  at  right  angles  to  the  main  axis  of 
the  room,  filled  with  shelves,  and  arranged  so  as  to  combine  very  happily  architectural 


IRELAXDS   EVE. 


effect  with  economy  of  space.  A  gallery,  twenty  feet  above  the  floor,  runs  round  the 
room.  The  best  view  of  this  magnificent  chamber  can  be  obtained  from  the  end  of  the 
gallery  over  the  entrance.  The  visitor  can  not  fail  to  be  charmed  as  his  eye  travels  down 
the  whole  length  of  the  room.  The  long  vista,  the  lights  streaming  across  from  the 
windows  at  the  end  of  each  recess,  the  lofty  arched  roof,  the  apparently  numberless 
book  shelves  and  books,  the  comfortable  tables  below  with  their  busy  readers,  the  cases 
full  of  priceless  MSS.,  the  long  rows  of  gleaming  marble  busts  of  distinguished  literary 
men  of  all  ages  and  lands,  the  time-worn  volumes  and  the  richly  carved  and  deep-toned 
wood,  both  alike  eloquent  of  age — all  these  combine  not  only  to  delight  the  eye,  but 
also  at  once  to  stimulate  and  to  satisfy  one's  sense  of  literary  fitness.  There  is  a  feeling 
of  content  that  such  a  splendid  library  should  be  so  superbly  housed. 

There  are  many  matters  in   Ireland  wherein   ordinary 
courses  of  procedure  seem  to  be  reversed.     The  origin  of 
Trinity  College  Library  is  an  illustration  in  point.    In  vari- 
ous countries  and  in  all  ages  scholars  and  lovers  of  literature 
have  had  to  bewail  the  ravages  in  the  way   of   MS.    and 
book  destruction  caused  by  war.    Yet  it  is  out  of  warfare 
that  this  great  library  appears  to  have  sprung.    In  1603  the 
Spaniards  were  defeated  at    the  battle  of  Kinsale  by  the 
English  and  Irish.    The  victors  in  their  enthusiasm  resolved 
to  erect  some  permanent  monument  of  their  success  ;  they 
collected  among  themselves  the  sum  of  £1,800  and — would 
that   their   example   had    found    many    imitators — decided 
to  expend  the   money  in  the.  purchase  of 
books,  and  present  them  as  the  nucleus  of 
a  library  to  the    College  at  Dublin,  then 
completing   its  first   decade.     Archbishop 
Usher  was  appointed  to  expend  the  money, 
and  few  of  the  many  tasks  he  performed 
during  his  life  can  have  been  so  congenial. 
Since  his  day  the  collection  has  grown  and 
grown    until  now  it  ranks  as  one  of  the 
largest  in  Europe.     It  can  claim  the    Bod- 
leian as  a  twin  brother,  for  while  Usher  was 
spending  his  soldiers'  money  in  London,  he  met  there  Sir  T.  Bodley,  who  was  purchasing 
books  for  his  Oxford  collection. 

Usher's  own  library,  one  which  embraced  manifold  treasures  in  its  10,000  volumes, 
found  here  a  permanent  home.  At  the  eastern  end  of  the  library  is  a  handsome  room, 
52  feet  long,  26  wide,  and  22  high,  containing  what  is  known  as  the  Fagel  Library,  once 
the  property  of  a  gentleman  named  Fagel,  Pensionary  of  Holland,  comprising  17,000 
volumes,  and  purchased  for  £8,000. 

The  library  is  very  rich  in  specimens  01  early  Irish  illuminated  MSS.,  and  these, 
together  with  many  other  very  precious  literary  treasures,  have  their  home  in  what  is 
called  the  Manuscript  Room.  This  apartment  is  on  the  ground  floor,  and  can  only  be 
seen  by  visitors  who  are  able  to  secure  the  presence  of  the  Librarian  or  one  of  the 

Fellows  of  the  College. 

23 


INITIAL,  THE  LETTER  L,  FKOM  THE  BOOK  OF  KELLS. 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 


The  most  famous  of  these  literary  treasures  are  exhibited  in  cases  which  stand  on 
the  floor  of  the  great  library,  and  among  these  the  highest  place  is  held  by  the  Book  of 
Kells.  This  is  one  of  the  finest  MSS.  in  Europe,  and  as  a  specimen  of  Irish  illumina- 
tion and  writing  has  no  rival.  It  dates  from  the  time  when  Ireland,  under  the  name  of 
Scotia,  was  famous  throughout  Europe  for  her  schools  and  for  her  missionary  enterprise. 
It  was  the  product  of  the  age  which  sent  Columba  to  Iona,  Cuthbert  to  England,  and 
Columbanus  to  Gaul.  It  is  a  copy  of  the  Gospels,  and  takes  its  name  from  the  fact 
that  it  once  belonged  to  the  monastery  at  Kells  in  Meath.  The  date  has  to  be  fixed  by 
internal  evidence,  and  the  best  authorities  now  lean  to  the  view  that  it  was  written 
about  the  end  of  the  sixth  century.     The  Irish  Annals  record  that  in  the  year  1006  it 

was  stolen  from  the  church 
at  Kells,  that  it  was  famous 
for  its  cover,  and  that  it  was 
found  after  forty  nights  and 
two  months,  "after  its  gold 
had  been  taken  from  it,  and 
with  sods  over  it."  The  mon- 
astery of  Kells  became  Crown 
property  in  1539,  and  the  great 
MS.  fell  into  the  hands  of 
Gerald  Plunket  of  Dublin.  In 
the  seventeenth  century  Usher 
became  its  owner,  and  with  his 
other  books,  in  1661,  it  found 
a  permanent  and  safe  home 
where  it  has  since  dwelt.  To 
it,  as  to  so  many  of  its  breth- 
ren, time  and  the  binder  have 
proved  cruel  foes.  Although 
it  still  contains  344  folios,  it  has 
lost  leaves  at  both  the  begin- 
ning and  end  ;  and  when,  in 
the  early  part  of  this  century, 
it  was  rebound,  the  margins 
were  sadly  mutilated.  But 
time  has  done  little  to  destroy 
the  wondrous  beauty  ot  coloring  in  its  marvelous  illuminations,  and  its  wealth  and 
richness  of  design  are  still  the  wonder  of  every  competent  observer.  It  is  the  most 
superb  example  of  this  branch  of  early  Irish  art.  Professor  Westwood  thus  describes 
the  special  features  of  this  book  as  illustrative  of  the  early  Irish  style  of  MS.  adorn- 
ment: 

"  Ireland  may  be  justly  proud  of  the  Book  ol  Kells— a  volume  traditionally  asserted 
to  have  belonged  to  St.  Columba,  and  unquestionably  the  most  elaborately  executed 
MS.  of  so  early  a  date  now  in  existence.  It  far  excels  in  the  gigantic  size  of  the  let- 
ters at  the  commencement  of  each  Gospel,  the  excessive  minuteness  of  the  ornamental 
details  crowded  into  whole  pages,  the  number  of  its  very  peculiar  decorations,  the  fine- 
24 


PART  OF  AN  ILLUMINATED  MONOGRAM,  FROM  THE  BOOK  OF  KELLS. 


IRELAXDS    EYE. 

ness  of  the  writing,  and  the  endless  variety  of  its  initial  capital  letters,  the  famous  Gos- 
pels of  Lindisfarne  in  the  Cottonian  Library.  But  this  manuscript  is  still  more  valuable 
on  account  of  the  various  pictorial  representations  of  different  scenes  in  the  life  of 
our  Saviour,  delineated  in  the  genuine  Irish  style,  of  which  several  of  the  manuscripts  of 
St.  Gall  and  a  very  few  others  offer  analogous  ex;  mples.  The  numerous  illustrations 
of  this  volume  render  it  a  complete  storehouse  of  artistic  interest.  The  text  itself  is 
far  more  extensively  decorated  than  in  any  other  now  existing  copy  of  the  Gospels."' 

"  Especially  deserving  of  notice,"  continues  Professor  Westwood,  "  is  the  extreme 
delicacy  and  wonderful  precision  united  with  an  extraordinary  minuteness  of  detail  with 
which  many  of  these  ancient  manuscripts  were  ornamented.  I  have  examined  with  a 
magnifying-glass  the  pages  of  the  Gospels  of  Lindisfarne  and  Book  of  Kells,  for  hours 
together,  without  ever  detecting  a  false  line  or  an  irregular  interlacement;  and  when 
it  is  considered  that  many  of  these  details  consist  of  spiral  lines,  and  are  so  minute  as  to 
be  impossible  to  have  been  executed  without  a  pair  of  compasses,  it  really  seems  a  prob- 
lem not  only  with  what  eyes,  but  also  with  what  instruments  they  could  have  been  exe- 
cuted. One  instance  of  the  minuteness  of  these  details  will  suffice  to  give  an  idea  of 
this  peculiarity.  I  have  counted  in  a  small  space,  measuring  scarcely  three-quarters  of 
an  inch,  by  less  than  half  an  inch  in  width,  in  the  Book  of  Armagh,  not  fewer  than  one 
hundred  and  fifty-eight  interlacements  of  a  slender  ribbon  pattern,  formed  of  white  lines 
edged  by  black  ones  upon  a  black  ground."  2 

"The  introduction  of  natural  foliage  in  this  MS.  is  another  of  its  great  peculiarities, 
whilst  the  intricate  intertwinings  of  the  branches  is  eminently  characteristic  of  the 
Celtic  spirit,  which  compelled  even  the  human  figure  to  submit  to  the  most  impossible 
contortions."3 

The  following  inscription,  in  a  minute  hand,  is  still  partly  legible  in  a  small  semi- 
circular space  at  the  head  of  the  columns  on  folio  4  verso. 

"  This  work  doth  pass  all  mens  conying  that  doth  live  in  any  place. 

I  doubt  not  there.  .  .  anything  but  that  the  writer  hath  obtained  God's  grace,  GP." 
On  the  verso  of  folio  344  is  the  following  entry  : — "  I,  Geralde  Plunket,  of  Dublin,  wrot 
the  contents  of  every  chapter  ;  I  mean  where  every  chapter  doth  begin,  1 568.  The 
boke  contaynes  tow  hundreth  v  and  iii  leaves  at  this  present  xxvii  August  1 568." 

Under  this  is  written  by  Usher,  who  was  Bishop  of  Meath  from  1621  to  1624: 
"  August  24,  1 62 1.  I  reckoned  the  leaves  of  this  and  found  them  to  be  in  number  344. 
He  who  reckoned  before  me  counted  six  score  to  the  hundred."  4 

While  upon  the  subject  of  Irish  illuminated  MSS.,  as  they  form  such  characteristic 
specimens  of  Irish  art,  we  must  refer  to  three  others  that  enrich  Trinity  College  Libra- 
ry. The  first,  the  Book  of  Durrow,  is  a  copy  of.  the  Gospels  according  to  the  Vulgate 
version.  It  gets  its  name  from  a  monastery  founded  about  523  a.  d.  by  Columba,  at 
Durrow,  or  Dairmag,  the  Plain  of  Oaks,  in  King's  County.  Tradition  has  maintained 
that  Columba  wrote  the  MS.,  but  the  fact  that  the  text  of  the  MS.  does  not  appear 
to  be  the  same  as  that  in  use  in  Ireland  in  the  sixth  century  tells  against  this  view.  On 
the  back  of  folio  12  is  an  entry  in  Latin  to  this  effect  :  "  I  pray  thy  blessedness,  O  holy 
presbyter,  Patrick,  that  whosoever  shall  take  this  book  into  his  hands  ma)-  remember  the 
Avriter,  Columba,  who  have  myself  written  this  Gospel  in  the  space  of  twelve  days  by 
the  grace  of  our  Lord." 

1  National  MSS.  of  Ireland,  by  John  T.  Gi  bert,  p.  14.     *  Ibid.  p.  20.      3  Ibid.  p.  15.      4  National  MSS.  of  Ireland,  pp.  20,  3.1. 

25 


IRELA ND  ILL  USTRA  TED. 


Like  several  other  of  these  ancient  MSS.,  this  copy  of  the  Gospels  once  possessed 
a  silver  cumdach  or  shrine.  This  has  unfortunately  perished,  but  the  inscription  upon  it 
has  been  preserved.  It  ran  "  The  prayer  and  benediction  of  St.  Columb  Kille  be 
upon  Flann,  the  son  of  Malachi,  King  of  Ireland,  who  caused  this  cover  to  be  made." 

Flann  reigned  879-916  a.  d.,  and  at  that  early  date  the  book  had  become  an  object 
of  special  veneration.     In  the  Annals  of  Clonmacnois,  the  translator,  Connell  Mageo- 

ghegan  refers  to  a  superstitious 
belief  once  current  with  regard  to 
this  and  other  early  books.  "He 
(Columba)  wrote  three  hundred 
books  with  his  own  hand.  They 
were  all  New  Testaments  ;  he  left 
a  book  to  each  of  his  churches  in 
the  kingdom,  which  books  have  a 
strange  property,  which  is,  that  if 
they  or  any  of  them  had  sunk  to 
the  bottom  of  the  deepest  waters, 
they  would  not  lose  one  letter,  or 
sign,  or  character  of  them  ;  which 
I  have  seen  tried,  partly  by  myself 
on  that  book  of  them  which  is  at 
Dorowe  (Durrow)  in  the  King's 
Co.,  for  I  saw  the  ignorant  man 
that  had  the  same  in  his  custody, 
when  sickness  came  on  cattle,  for 
their  remedy,  put  water  on  the 
book  and  suffer  it  to  rest  therein  ; 
and  saw  also  cattle  return  thereby 
to  their  former  state  ;  and  the  book 
receive  no  loss." 

The  water-stained  condition  of 
some  of  the  last  leaves  of  the  Book 
ot  Durrow  confirms  the  accuracy 
of  the  scribe's  statement  as  to  the 
experiments  to  which  ages  ago  it 
was  subjected. 

We  are  able  to  give  a  very  fine 
specimen  of  one  of  the  illuminated 
pages  of  this  MS. 
The  second  example,  the  Book  of  Dimna,  so  called  after  the  name  of  the  scribe  who 
wrote  it,  a  copy  of  the  Gospels  in  Latin,  dates  most  probably  from  the  seventh  century. 
It  once  belonged  to  the  abbey  of  Roscrea.    It  was  encased  in  a  shrine  about  the  middle 
of  the  tenth  century.     "  The  shrine  with  its  precious  enclosure  disappeared  at  the  time 
of  the  dissolution  of  monasteries ;    it  was  found   by  boys  hunting  rabbits  in  the  year 
1789,  among  the  rocks  of  the  Devil's  Bit  Mountain,  in  the  county  of  Tipperary,  care- 
fully preserved  and  concealed.     The  boys   who  discovered  it  tore  off  the   silver  plate 
26 


AN   ILLUMINATED   PAGE   FROM   THE   BOOK   OF   DURROW. 


IRELAXDS    EVE. 


And  picked  out  some  of  die  lapis-la  :uli  with  which  it  was  studded.  It  then  came  into 
the  possession  of  Dr.  Harrison  ol  n  riagh,  and  alter  passing  through  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Monck  Mason,  Sir  William  Betham,  and  Dr.  Todd,  was  finally  purchased  for  the 
library."  ' 

The  third,  and  in  some  respects  the  most  interesting  of  all,  is  the  Book  of  Armagh, 
a  curious  composite  volume  of  very  great  importance  in  the  literary  history  of  Ireland, 
and  in  regard  to  the  life  of  St.  Patrick.  Dr.  Reeves  has  discovered  evidence  in 
the  MS.  itself  that  renders  it  almost  certain  that  it  was  written  about  a.  d.  807  by 
a  scribe  named  Ferdomnach.  It  seems  to  have  been  referred  to  by  the  Annalists  as 
the  Canon  of  Patrick,  and  they  record  that  in  937  it  was  enclosed  in  a  case  by  Donogh, 
the  son  of  Flann,  King  of  Ire- 


land.  At  a  later  stage  the 
ancient  silver  case  was  en- 
closed in  a  leather  cover,  and 
of  this  we  are  able  to  give  an 
illustration.  It  presents  a 
typical  example  of  Irish  orna- 
mentation. An  entry  at  the 
foot  of  folio  16  purports  to 
have  been  made  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  far-famed  Brian 
Boru,  probably  in  1002,  when 
that  king  offered  twenty 
ounces  of  gold  on  the  altar  of 
Armagh.  In  ancient  days, 
according  to  the  usual  custom, 
the  book  had  a  viaor  or  keep- 
er, who  received  an  endow- 
ment of  land  in  virtue  of  his 
office.  His  descendants  were 
known  as  Meic  Maor,  sons  of 
the  keeper,  and  in  time  this 
became  Mac  Moyre.  Upon  the 
reverse  of  one  leaf  appears, 
under  the  date  of  1662, 
the    signature  of  Florentinus 

Moyre,  the  last  of  the  family  who  held  the  guardianship  of  the  book.  This  man 
went  in  16S0  to  London  to  give  evidence  in  a  trial,  and,  before  starting,  placed  the 
book  in  pledge  for  five  pounds.  Soon  after  the  MS.  and  its  leather  case  came  into  the 
hands  of  Arthur  Brownlow  ;  it  remained  in  the  Brownlow  family  until  1853,  when  Dr. 
Reeves  purchased  it,  and  handed  it  over  to  the  late  Primate  Beresford,  who  in  his 
turn  presented  it  to  the  Library. 

There  are  very  interesting  specimens  to  be  seen  here  of  other  classes  of  MSS. 
Standing  highest  in  general  interest  are  those  belonging  to  the  Greek  Testament.  The 
Library  possesses  a  valuable  palimpsest,  known  as  the  Codex  Rescriptics  Dublinensis. 

1  Miss  Stokes'  E*rly  Christian  Art  in  Ireland,  p.  24. 

27 


LEATHER   OUTER    CASE   OF   THE   BOOK   OF   ARMAGH,    SHOWING   THE 
EARLY    IRISH    TRACERY    ORNAMENTATION. 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 


It  has  been  carefully  edited  by  the  present  librarian,  the  Rev.  T.  K.  Abbott.  It  is  a 
small  quarto  volume,  consisting  of  1 10  folios.  It  contains  considerable  portions  of  St. 
Matthew's  Gospel,  and  its  readings  possess  a  very  high  critical  value.  It  dates  in  all 
probability  from  the  fifth  century,  and  is  known  in  the  lists  of  authorities  by  the  letter 
Z.  Any  one  who  wishes  to  appreciate  Dr.  Abbott's  labors,  and  the  enormous  difficulty 
of  much  of  the  work  done  on  behalf  of  recent  New  Testament  scholarship  by  such  men 
as  Tischendorf  and  Tregelle-s,  should  inspect  this  MS.  They  will  find  it  extremely  diffi- 
cult even  to  see,  to  say  nothing  of  deciphering,  the  dim  Greek  uncial  letters  that  were 
nearly  obliterated  many  centuries  ago,  to  make  way  for  the  later  and  less  valuable 
writing  placed  over  it. 

The  Library  also  possesses  a  much  later  MS.  that  has  been  rendered  famous  by  a 
fortuitous  event  in  Greek  Testament  controversy.  It  is  well  known  that  Erasmus  omit- 
ted from  the  first  edition  of  his  Greek 
Testament  the  words  in  i  John  v.  7,  8. 
translated  in  our  version,  "  In  heaven, 
the  Father,  the  Word,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost  :  and  these  three  are  one.  And 
there  are  three  that  bear  witness  in 
earth."  When  attacked  for  so  doing, 
he  promised  that  if  a  single  Greek  MS. 
could  be  found  containing  the  words  he 
would  insert  them.  They  were  at  last 
found  in  a  Greek  MS.,  written  in  the 
cursive  or  running  hand,  of  late  date 
and  very  doubtful  authority.  This  MS., 
known  as  the  Codex  Monfortiamts,  is 
also  carefully  kept  in  the  Manuscript 
Room.  Erasmus,  true  to  his  promise, 
although  he  did  not  believe  the  words 
to  be  genuine,  inserted  them  in  his  third 
edition.  The  Revised  Version  omits 
them,  as  resting  upon  altogether  insuf- 
ficient authority. 

But  it  is  high  time  we  left  the  Library 
for  a  stroll  through  the  College  itself. 

The  various  departments  of  learning 
are  all  adequately  housed  within  its  very 
extensive  precincts ;  the  medical  school 
being  especially  fortunate  in  this  respect.  The  chemical  lecture  room  and  laboratory 
are  splendidly  equipped  with  all  the  latest  and  best  facilities  both  for  lecturing  and 
practical  work.  The  college  park  is  also  a  very  pleasant  place  of  resort,  and  on  the 
occasion  of  a  University  Cricket  Match  or  Athletic  Sports  is  thronged  with  the  fashion 
and  beauty  of  Dublin. 

Across  the  street,  and  opposite  to  the  north-west  corner  of  Trinity  College,  stands 
the  considerable  pile  of  building  in  which  centers  the  work  of  the   Bank  of  Ireland. 
Formerly  the  Irish  Houses  of  Parliament  met  here.       Visitors  are  still  shown  the  room 
28 


THE   CHOIB,    ST.    PATRICK'S   CATHEDRAL. 


IRELAND'S  EVE. 


in  which  the  Irish  House  of  Lords  met,  and  which,  one  is  told,  remains  very  much  now 
as  it  appeared  in  the  days  of  Castlereagh. 

Dublin  possesses  two  cathedrals,  both  of  which,  in  recent  years,  have  been  thor- 
oughly renovated  and  restored  by  private  munificence.  The  younger,  but  in  many  re- 
spects the  more  interesting,  is  St.  Patrick's.  The  early  history  of  this  building  seems 
to  be  somewhat  obscure.  About  1 190,  Archbishop  John  de  Comyn,  the  first  English 
Archbishop  of  Dublin,  built  a  collegiate  establishment  here  on  the  site  of  a  much  older 
parish  church.  In  12  13  his  successor  changed  the  church  into  a  cathedral.  In  1362  it 
was  burnt,  and  in  1370  it  was  rebuilt,  with  the  addition  of  a  fine  tower.  In  1542  its  con- 
stitution was  changed  to  that  of  a  dean  and  chapter,  and  in  1546  it  passed  to  the  Crown. 
During  this  period  it  was  neglected  and  fell  into  decay,  but  in  1 554  Queen  Mary  restored 
its  rights  and  privileges.  It  suffered  during  the  Commonwealth  troubles,  and  also  at  the 
hands  of  James  II. 's  soldiers  in  1688.  In  1 7 1 3  the  mostfamous  man  who  has  ever  been 
associated  with  it,  Jonathan  Swift,  was  appointed  to  the  deanery.  From  that  time  until 
his  death,  in  1745,  he  devoted  himself  to  the  preservation  of  the  building  and  its  numer- 
ous monuments,  and  to  the  increase  of  its  revenues.  In  1783  the  Order  of  St.  Patrick 
was  instituted,  and  the  banners  of  the  knights 
now  hang  in  the  choir.  In  i865  the  restor- 
ation effected  by  the  wealth  of  the  late  Sir 
Benjamin  Lee  Guinness  was  completed.  It 
had  fallen  into  what  seemed  like  hopeless  de- 
cay, and  although  some  partial  attempts  had 
been  made  to  stay  the  progress  of  destruc- 
tion, the  building  seemed  doomed.  But  by 
the  aid  of  Sir  B.  Guinness  the  building  has 
been  so  restored  that  Sir  James  Ware's  de- 
scription once  more  applies  :  "  If  we  con- 
sider the  compass,  or  the  beauty,  or  the  mag- 
nificence of  its  structure,  in  my  opinion  it  is  to 
be  preferred  before  all  the  cathedrals  in  Ire- 
land." 

The  architecture  of  the  structure  is  the 
First  Pointed  or  Early  English,  and  the 
ground-plan  consists  of  a  nave,   choir,   north 

and  south  transepts,  all  with  aisles,  and  a  Lady  Chapel.  The  tower  was  built  in 
1370,  and  the  granite  spire,  a  prominent  but  not  at  all  lovely  object,  was  added  to  the 
tower  in  1740.  The  building  is  300  feet  long,  the  nave  67  feet  wide,  the  transepts  iSy 
feet  long  and  80  feet  wide,  and  the  tower  and  steeple  221  feet  high.  Sir  B.  Guin- 
ness entirely  rebuilt  the  north  and  south  aisles. 

The  interior  is  crowded  with  monuments,  one  dedicated  to  Swift,  who  was  buried 
October  2 2d,  1745.  It  stands  in  the  south  aisle,  and  consists  of  a  fine  bust,  and  a  slab 
upon  which  is  inscribed  the  epitaph  written  by  himself;  one  of  the  saddest  inscriptions 
in  this  or  any  other  cathedral.  It  is  in  Latin,  but  may  be  freely  rendered  :  "  Here  lies 
the  body  of  Jonathan  Swift,  D.D.,  Dean  of  this  cathedral  church,  where  fierce  indigna- 
tion can  no  longer  rend  the  heart.     Go,  traveler,  and  imitate,  if  thou  canst,  one  who,  as 

far  as  in  him  lay,  was  an  earnest  champion  of  liberty."     Close  by  is  the  inscription  com- 

29 


JONATHAN    SWIFT. 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

memorating  Mrs.  Hester  Johnson,  or  Stella,  as  "a  person  of  extraordinary  endowments 
and  accomplishments,  in  body,  mind  and  behavior  ;  justly  admired  and  respected  by  all 
who  knew  her,  on  account  of  her  many  eminent  virtues,  as  well  as  for  her  great  natural 
and  acquired  perfections."  She  was  buried  by  the  second  pillar  from  the  west  door  on 
the  south  side  of  the  nave,  January  30th,  1728,  seventeen  years  before  the  brilliant  but 
bitter  genius  of  Swift  sank  to  rest. 

Swift's  life  is  a  tragedy,  perhaps  the  most  tragical  in  the  long  story  of  English  litera- 
ture. One  cannot  look  upon  the  two  monuments  without  wishing  that  the  fate  of  each 
mio-ht  have  been  different,  that  Swift  could  have  used  his  splendid  intellect  for  the  good 
rather  than  the  injury  of  others,  and  that  Stella's  loving  heart  could  have  been  fixed 
upon  one  in  whose  full  and  unselfish  response  she  would  have  experienced  a  hap- 
pier lot. 

Thackeray's  judgment  to  some  seems  harsh,  but  many  facts  bear  it  out.  "  The  sceva 
indignatio,  of  which  he  spoke  as  lacerating  his  heart,  and  which  he  dares  to  inscribe 
on  his  tombstone — as  if  the  wretch  who  lay  under  that  stone  waiting  God's  judgment 
had  a  right  to  be  angry — breaks  out  from  him  in  a  thousand  pages  of  his  writing,  and 
tears  and  rends  him.  Against  men  in  office,  he  having  been  overthrown  ;  against  men 
in  England,  he  having  lost  his  chance  of  preferment  there,  the  furious  exile  never  fails 
to  rage  and  curse.  In  a  note  in  his  biography,  Scott  says  that  his  friend  Dr.  Tuke,  of 
Dublin,  has  a  lock  of  Stella's  hair,  enclosed  in  a  paper  by  Swift,  on  which  are  written, 
in  the  dean's  hand,  the  words  ;  '  Only  a  woman's  hair.'  An  instance,  says  Scott,  of 
the  dean's  desire  to  veil  his  feelings  under  the  mask  of  cynical  indifference.  See  the 
various  notions  of  critics!  Do  those  words  indicate  indifference,  or  an  attempt  to 
hide  feeling  ?  Did  you  ever  hear  or  read  four  words  more  pathetic  ?  Only  a  woman's 
hair  :  only  love,  only  fidelity,  only  purity,  innocence,  beauty,  only  the  tenderest  heart 
in  all  the  world  stricken  and  wounded,  and  passed  away  now  out  of  reach  of  pangs 
of  hope  deferred,  love  insulted,  and  pitiless  desertion  : — only  that  lock  of  hair  left  ; 
and  memory  and  remorse  for  the  guilty,  lonely  wretch,  shuddering  over  the  grave  of 
his  victim.  And  yet  to  have  had  so  much  love,  he  must  have  given  some.  Treasures 
of  wit  and  wisdom,  and  tenderness  too,  must  that  man  have  had  locked  up  in  the  caverns 
of  his  gloomy  heart,  and  shown  fitfully  to  one  or  two  whom  he  took  there.  But  it  was 
not  good  to  visit  that  place.  People  did  not  remain  there  long,  and  suffered  for  having 
been  there."1 

In  the  north  transept  stands  a  characteristic  specimen  of  Swift's  biting  satire,  exer- 
cised, it  must  be  admitted,  more  justly  in  this  case  than  in  many.  The  Duke  of  Schom- 
berg  was  killed  at  the  Battle  of  the  Boyne,  and  buried  in  St.  Patrick's.  His  relatives 
do  not  seem  to  have  cared  sufficiently  for  the  duke  to  contribute  towards  the  cost  of  a 
monument  in  commemoration  of  his  qualities.  The  inscription,  therefore,  runs  to  the 
effect  that  the  Dean  and  Chapter  had  repeatedly  and  earnestly  besought  the  duke's 
relatives  to  erect  the  monument,  that  after  letters,  the  requests  of  friends,  repeated  and 
earnest  entreaties  had  availed  nothing,  the  Dean  and  Chapter  had  at  length  erected  the 
stone,  in  order  that  the  visitor  might  know  where  the  ashes  of  Schomberg  reposed. 
The  sting  is  at  the  end,  where  it  is  asserted  that  the  duke's  reputation  for  valor  availed 
more  with  strangers  than  his  ties  of  blood  did  with  his  own  kindred. 

This  is  not  flattering  to  the  relatives  of  the  duke,  nor,  on  the  other  hand,  does  their 

1  Thackeray,  English  Humorists. 
3° 


o 


o 

ft 


ft 

O 
•=3 


e 
a 
w 

B 


IRELAND'S    EYE. 

conduct  indicate  that  they  felt  very  deeply  the  loss  of  the  noted  soldier  ;  but  it  is 
hardly  in  accordance  with  fact  to  characterize  the  inscription,  as  Macaulay  does,  by  the 
phrase,  "  a  furious  libel." 

An  hour  may  be  pleasantly  spent  in  deciphering  the  various  monuments  and  inscrip- 
tions ;  but  there  are  not  many  of  general  interest.  In  the  south  choir  aisle  is  one  in 
remembrance  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Wolfe,  author  of  the  Burial  of  Sir  John  Moore ; 
and  in  the  churchyard  one  to  the  memory  of  Dr.  Todd,  the  archaeologist  and  author. 

Only  a  few  hundred  yards  separate  St.  Patrick's  from  the  sister  cathedral  Christ 
Church.  It  is  supposed  to  stand  upon  the  site  of  the  old  Celtic  dun  or  fort.  It  was 
founded  in  103S,  and  completed  in  the  following  century  by  Richard  Strongbow  and 
others  in  conjunction  with  the  Archbishop  of  Dublin,  Laurence  O'Toole.  In  i562  the 
greater  part  of  the  structure  fell  in  ;  and  by  subsequent  restorations  and  vicissitudes 
most  of  the  original  building  has  disappeared.  There  is  some  reason  to  believe  that 
originally  it  was  a  finer  structure  than  St.  Patrick's.  Like  its  sister,  it  owes  its  present 
complete  and  beautiful  appearance  to  the  liberality  of  a  Dublin  brewer,  Mr.  Roe,  who 
expended  about  a  million  and  a  quarter  dollars  upon  it.  The  peculiar  plan  of  the  origi- 
nal choir  was  ascertained  by  examination  of  the  crypts,  and  closely  followed  in  the  res- 
toration. A  short  apsidal  choir  or  presbytery  stands  to  the  east  of  the  central  tower, 
and  around  this  an  aisle  or  processional  path  runs,  and  beyond  this  to  the  east  are  two 
chapels,  the  smaller  adjoining  the  choir.  A  Synod  House  for  the  meetings  of  the  dis- 
established Episcopal  Church  of  Ireland  was  erected  and  connected  by  a  passage  with 
the  west  end  of  the  cathedral,  the  tower  was  raised,  and  the  whole  edifice  practically 
rebuilt.  It  belongs  to  the  transitional  style  of  architecture.  A  iew  years  ago  Mr,  Drew, 
architect  to  Christ  Church,  discovered  the  remains  of  the  Chapter  House,  near  which 
were  formerly  the  old  Law  Courts  of  Dublin,  and  the  narrow  passage  known  as  Hell. 
These  remains  are  now  carefully  preserved.  A  monument  ascribed  to  the  famous  Earl 
of  Pembroke,  Richard  Strongbow,  is  placed  in  the  nave.  In  1487  Lambert  Simnel,  the 
impostor,  was  crowned  here.  In  mediaeval  times  the  cathedral  was  rich  in  MSS., 
shrines  and  other  relics,  possessing,  among  others,  a  bachall  or  walking-staff,  said  to 
have  belonged  to  St.  Patrick. 

A  short  walk  through  a  very  unsavory  neighborhood  brings  the  visitor  from  Christ 
Church  to  the  Liffey,  and  immediately  before  him  on  the  north  bank  he  sees  another 
noted  structure — the  Four  Courts  of  Dublin,  one  of  the  most  imposing  buildings  in  the 
city,  and  one  which,  unlike  some  of  the  others,  has  remained  true  throughout  its  his- 
tory to  the  objects  for  which  it  was  built.  It  occupies  an  oblong,  having  a  frontage  on 
the  river  of  440  feet.  The  foundation  stone  was  laid  in  1786,  it  was  opened  for  busi- 
ness in  1797,  and  it  cost  about  $1,000,000.  It  consists  of  a  central  block  of  building, 
surmounted  by  a  circular  lantern  and  dome,  one  of  the  landmarks  of  the  metropolis. 
This  building  is  flanked  by  squares  connected  with  each  other  and  with  the  main  en- 
trance by  arcades.  •  Each  angle  of  the  main  building  is  occupied  by  one  of  the  superior 
courts,  viz.,  Chancery,  Queen's  Bench,  Common  Pleas,  and  Exchequer,  whence  the 
name  of  the  pile.  The  center  under  the  dome  is  left  free  for  the  meeting  of  lawyers 
and  clients,  and  all  who  have  business  there,  or  who  are  drawn  thither  by  curiosity.  A 
description  written  fifty  years  ago  applies  to  it  to-day  ;  "  The  handsome  and  towering 
dome  lights  the  great  hall  of  the  Courts,  an  object  of  just  admiration  from  its  chaste 
and  lofty  appearance  and  proportions.    During  term  time  it  is  crowded  with  lawyers  and 

33 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

pickpockets,  strangers  and  stragglers,  the  fleeced  and  the  fleecing,  the  hopeful  and  the 
hopeless,  the  anxious  and  the  careless.  At  such  a  period  of  bustle,  a  visitor,  as  a  Pic- 
ture of  Dublin  benevolently  forewarns  him,  should  look  to  his  pockets.1 

In  the  neighborhood  of  the  splendid  square  known  as  Stephen's  Green,  and  of  Kil- 
dare  Street,  many  of  the  scientific  institutions  of  Dublin,  first-class  clubs  and  hotels 
cluster  together.  The  Royal  Dublin  Society,  the  Museum  of  Science  and  Art,  the 
National  Gallery  of  Ireland,  and  the  Royal  Irish  Academy  are  in  this  region.  The 
handsome  and  extensive  buildings  of  the  New  National  Museum,  afford  room  to  dis- 
play many  treasures  previously  inaccessible  to  the  public.  Each  of  the  great  institutions 
mentioned  above  is  well  worthy  of  careful  attention.  It  is  no  disparagement,  however, 
to  the  rest  to  say  that  upon  the  attention  of  the  stranger  the  Museum  and  the  Library 
of  the  Royal  Irish  Academy  have  paramount  claims. 

This  Society  was  incorporated  in  1786  for  the  study  of  science,  polite  literature,  and 
Irish  antiquities.  Very  skillfully  and  thoroughly  have  these  objects  been  accomplished, 
although  even  more  might  have  been  done  could  they  have  controlled  larger  funds. 
The  museum  contains  a  marvelously  varied  and  rich  collection  of  specimens  of  Irish 
art,  from  the  earliest  period  down  to  comparatively  recent  date.  Naturally  the  most 
interesting  objects  are  those  either  entirely  or  almost  entirely  peculiar  to  Ireland.  And 
among  these  what  are  known  as  cumdachs,  or  book  shrines,  hold  perhaps  the  chief 
place.  They  are  rarely  met  with  except  in  Ireland,  and  have  played  no  unimportant 
part  in  past  days.  They,  like  the  famous  bell  shrines,  came  into  existence  as  the  out- 
come of  the  reverential  affection  manifested  towards  the  chief  Irish  teachers,  such  as 
Patrick,  Columba,  and  Molaise  by  their  successors.  The  old  book,  the  familiar  com- 
panion of  the  early  missionary,  was  untouched  ;  but  all  that  wealth  and  skill  could  do 
was  lavished  upon  the  production  of  a  box  or  shrine  in  which  to  preserve  so  precious  a 
relic.  In  some  cases  this  box  was  hermetically  sealed,  and  no  superstition  was  stronger 
or  more  universal  than  the  belief  that  the  opening  of  such  a  box  would  be  followed  by 
the  direst  misfortune. 

The  oldest  and  in  many  respects  the  most  interesting  specimen  of  these  in  the 
museum  is  the  Domnach  Airgid,  or  the  Silver  Shrine.  This  was  for  many  ages  pre- 
served as  a  reliquary  near  Clones  in  County  Monaghan.  Dr.  Petrie's  conclusions,  given 
to  the  Royal  Irish  Academy  in  1838,  are  generally  accepted  as  the  true  history  of  this 
ancient  relic.  He  says,  "  In  its  present  state  this  ancient  remain  appears  to  have  been 
equally  designed  as  a  shrine  for  the  preservation  of  relics,  and  of  a  book  ;  but  the  lat- 
ter was  probably  its  sole  original  use.  Its  form  is  that  of  an  oblong  box,  nine  inches 
by  seven,  and  five  inches  in  height.  This  box  is  composed  of  three  distinct  covers,  of 
which  the  first,  or  inner  one,  is  of  wood — yew  ;  the  second,  or  middle  one,  of  copper, 
plated  with  silver  ;  and  the  third,  or  outer  one,  of  silver,  plated  with  gold.  In  the  com- 
parative ages  of  these  several  covers  there  is  obviously  a  great  difference.  The  first 
may  probably  be  coeval  with  the  manuscript  which  it  was  intended  to  preserve  ;  the 
second,  in  the  style  of  its  scroll,  or  interlaced  ornament,  indicates  a  period  betwixt  the 
sixth  and  twelfth  centuries  ;  while  the  figures  in  relief,  the  ornaments,  and  the  letters  on 
the  third,  or  outer  cover,  leave  no  doubt  of  its  being  the  work  of  the  fourteenth  century." 

The  inscriptions  on  the  outer  case  show  that  the  Domnach  belonged  to  the 
monastery  of  Clones  or  See  of  Clogher,  and  the  John  O'Karbri  by  whose  permission 

1  Dublin  Penny  Journal  i.  143. 
34 


INTERIOR  OF  CHRIST  CHURCH,   AS   RESTORED. 


IRELAXD'S    EVE. 


the  cover  was  made  died  in  1353.  It  is  also  known  from  the  Irish  authorities  that  St. 
Patrick  gave  to  St.  Mac  Carthen,  who  died  in  5o6,  a  remarkable  reliquary.  On  the 
death  of  Mac  Carthen,  Tigernach,  his  successor,  becamt  the  first  Bishop  and  Abbot  of 
Clones,  where  he  built  a  new  church,  to  which  he  removed  the  See  of  Clogher.  This 
■evidence  goes,  therefore,  to  prove  that  the  Domnach  is  the  identical  reliquary  that  once 
belonged  to  St.  Patrick,  and  that  as  its  original  purpose  was  evidently  to  contain  abook, 
and  it  actually  does  contain  a  MS.,  which  can  be  reasonably  referred  to  the  age  of  St. 
Patrick,  there  is  reason  for  the  belief  that  this  is  the  original  MS.  Unfortunately,  the 
membranes  of  the  MS.  have  stuck  together,  so  that  it  is  only  with  very  great  difficulty 
that  any  separate  leaves  can  be  detached.  A  few  of  the  pages  at  the  beginning  of  the 
MS.  have  been  examined,  and  found  to  be  "  the  first  chapter  of  a  Latin  version  of  the 
Gospel  of  Matthew,  in  a  char- 
acter not  inconsistent  with  the 
age  to  which,  on  examination, 
the  MS.  was  assigned  by  Dr. 
Petrie." 

The  Domnach  Airgid  is  ex- 
hibited in  the  little  room  on 
the  first  floor,  into  which  has 
been  brought  together  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  antiqua- 
rian collections  of  Europe.  It 
was  purchased  for  a  few  dollars 
by  Mr.  Geo.  Smith,  who  sold  it 
in  1838  for $i,5oo  to  the  Hon. 
Henry  Westenra,  who  after- 
wards became  Baron  Rossmore, 
and  he  ultimately  presented  it 
to  the  Academy.  The  way  in 
which  superstition  in  later  ages 
centered  in  and  upon  these 
early  remains  is  very  finely  il- 
lustrated by  Carleton  in  one  of 
his  most  vivid  and  thrilling 
stories  of  Irish  peasant  life,  en- 
titled The  Donagh ,  or  the  Horse 
Stealers.  He  there  shows  how 
the  ordeal  of  having  to  swear 

upon  the  Donagh  led  to  the  discovery  of  crime,  depicting  at  the  same  time  the  impres- 
sion that  the  mere  sight  of  the  relic  used  to  produce  upon  an  assembly  of 
peasants. 

In  later  days  these  cases  were  very  richly  jeweled  and  adorned  with  all  the  resour- 
ces of  wealth  and  art.  Our  engraving  shows  the  one  that  for  centuries  enclosed  a  copy 
of  the  Gospels  believed  to  have  belonged  to  Molaise,  a  friend  of  Columba.  It  was 
made  when  Cennfailad  was  abbot,  that  is,  from  1001  to  102 5,  and  consists  of  plates  of 
bronze,  upon  which  richly  ornamented  plates  of  silver  are  riveted.     The  illustration 

37 


THE   CUMDACH,    OB   CASE   OF   ST.    MOLAISE  S   GOSPELS. 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 


reproduces  the  chief  face  of  the  cover,  having  in  the  center  a  cross  contained  in  a  circle 
surrounded  by  the  symbols  of  the  four  evangelists. 

In  addition  to  the  Domnach  Airgid,  the  Museum  possesses  another  relic  which  there 
is  good  reason  for  believing  dates  from  the  time  of  St.  Patrick,  viz.,  his  bell.  "The 
iron  bell  of  St.  Patrick  is  at  once  the  most  authentic  and  the  oldest  Irish  relic  of  Chris- 
tian metal  work  that  has  descended  to  us.  It  possesses  the  singular  merit  of  having  an 
unbroken  history  through  1400  years.  This  bell  is  quadrilateral,  and  is  formed  of  two- 
plates  of  sheet  iron  which  are  bent  over  so  as  to  meet,  and  are  fastened  together  by 
large-headed  iron  rivets.  The  corners  are  rounded  by  a  gentle  inclination  of  the  parts 
which  join.  One  of  the  plates  constitutes  the  face,  the  crown  and  the  upper  third  of 
the  back,  as  well  as  the  adjacent  portion  of  each  side,  being  doubled  over  at  the 
top,  and  descending  to  meet  the 
smaller  plate,  which  overlaps  it 
at  the  junction.  Subsequently  to 
the  securing  the  joints  by  rivets, 
the  iron  frame  was  consolidated 
by  the  fusion  of  bronze  into  the 
joints  and  over  the  surface,  giv- 
ing to  the  whole  a  metallic  solid- 
ity which  very  much  enhanced  its 
resonance,  as  well  as  contributed 
to  its  preservation.  The  handle 
is  of  iron,  let  in  by  projecting 
spikes  to  perforations  on  the 
ridge  of  the  bell,  and  further 
secured  on  the  outside  by  bronze 
attachments  of  its  straps."1 

This  bell  belongs  to  a  class  of 
ecclesiastical  objects  of  which  nu- 
merous specimens  have  come 
down  to  us.  Over  fifty  are  extant 
in  Ireland,  and  they  are  not  un- 
common in  Wales  and  Scotland. 
In  the  case  of  St.  Patrick's  Bell 
the  history  can  be  clearly  traced. 
About  the  eleventh  century  it  be- 
came the  custom,  out  of  rever- 
ence for  the  early  Christian  teach- 
ers, to  prepare  costly  and  richly 
jeweled  cases  or  shrines  for  these 
bells.  We  g-ive  an  engravinc-  of 
that   in  which  St.  Patrick's  Bell 

was  for  many  centuries  enshrined.  It  is  a  splendid  example  of  goldsmith's  work,  and 
it  was  made  between  1091  and  1 103,  when  Donell  MacAulay,  the  name  found  in  the 
inscription  upon  it,  was  Archbishop  of  Armagh.     It  is  of  brass,  upon  which  silver-gilt 

1   Transactions  of  the  Royal  Irish  Academy,  1877. 
3S 


THE   SHKINE    OF    ST.    PATRICK  S   BELL. 


IRELAXDS   EYE. 


plates  are  fastened,  and  fine  gold  filigree  work;  it  is  adorned  with  gems  and  crystal.  "Since 
it  was  made,  about  109 1 ,  it  has  never  been  lost  sight  of.  From  the  beginning  it  had  a  spec- 
ial keeper  ;  in  succeeding  generations  its  custody  was  continued  in  the  same  family,  and 
proved  to  them  a  source  of  considerable  emolument,  and  in  after  ages,  when  its  profits 
ceased  to  accrue,  long  association  so  bound  it  up  with  the  affections  of  the  keeper's 
family  that  they  almost  held  their  existence  upon  the  tenure  of  its  safe  custody,  and  then 
handed  it  down  from  generation  to  generation,  till  the  stock  at  last  became  extinct,  and 
the  object  of  their  former  care  passed  into  a  keeping  established  by  friendship  instead 
of  blood."1 

From  the  beginning  of  the  twelfth  century  until  about  the  commencement  of  the 
present,  the  bell  and  its  shrine  was  in  the  custody  of  a  family  named  Mulholland.  The 
last  representative  of  this  family,  being  childless,  entrusted  them  to  the  care  of  the  late 
Adam  McLean,  Esq.,  of  Belfast.  They  then  passed  into  the  possession  of  Dr.  Todd, 
from  whose  executor  they  were  purchased  for  the  Academy  for  the  sum  of  $2,5oo. 

It  would  be  possible  to  fill  many 
pages  with  descriptions  of  the  beauti- 
ful objects  contained  in  this  museum, 
illustrative  of  the  knowledge,  skill,  and 
perseverance  put  forth  at  a  time  when 
many  persons  fancy  that  Ireland  was 
inhabited  only  by  hordes  of  savages, 
mainly  occupied  in  the  slaughter  of 
each  other.  The  museum  is  crowd- 
ed with  arms,  dress,  and  objects,  the 
uses  of  which  in  some  cases  remain 
yet  undiscovered,  illustrative  of  all 
epochs  of  Irish  history.  The  only 
museum  that  equals  it  in  compactness, 
and  in  skillful  arrangement  of  contents, 
is  the  Museum  of  Northern  Antiqui- 
ties at  Copenhagen. 

The  gem  of  the  Dublin  collection,  and  in  many  respects  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
and  noteworthy  objects  in  Europe,  is  the  Ardagh  Chalice.  When  it  was  made  no 
evidence  is  extant  to  show,  but  all  judges  agree  that  at  the  very  least  it  is  over  1 ,000 
years  old.  It  was  found,  with  other  specimens  of  Celtic  art,  by  a  lad  digging  potatoes 
in  a  rath  or  earlv  fort  near  the  village  of  Ardagh,  Limerick.  It  belongs  to  the  class  of 
cups  known  as  calices  ministrales,  in  use  before  the  tenth  century,  intended  for  the  use 
of  the  minor  clergy  and  laity,  before  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  debarred  the  laity 
from  the  communion  in  both  kinds. 

The  chalice  is  composed  of  an  alloy  of  silver,  and  is  seven  inches  high.  In  the  various 
parts,  no  less  than  354  in  number,  gold,  silver,  bronze,  brass,  copper  and  lead,  are  used. 
The  upper  rim  is  of  brass,  much  decayed  and  split  from  some  local  action  on  that 
particular  kind  of  alloy.  The  bowl  is  of  silver,  the  standard  value  of  which  is  four 
shillings  to  the  ounce.  The  ornaments  cut  on  the  silver  bowl  consist  of  an  inscription, 
interlaced  patterns  terminating  in  dogs'  heads,  and  at  the  bottom  a  circular  band  of  the 

1  Early  Christian  AH  in  Ireland,  p.  59. 

39 


THE    AEDAGH    CHALICE. 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 


Greek  pattern.  The  mode  of  ornamentation  is  peculiar  to  this  cup,  being  done  with  a 
chisel  and  hammer.  Round  the  cup  runs  a  band  composed  of  two  semi-cylindrical  rings 
of  silver  ornamented  with  small  annular  dots  punched  out  with  a  hollow  punch.  The 
space  between  the  rings  is  filled  with  twelve  plaques  of  gold  repousse  work  with  a  very 
beautiful  ornamentation  of  fine  filigree  wirework,  wrought  on  the  front  of  the  repousse 
ground,  and  carrying  out  in  its  most  delicate  execution  the  interlaced  pattern  associated 
with  the  art  of  the  country.     Between  the  plaques  are  twelve  round  enameled  beads." 

Although  the  object  is  so  small,  there  are  no  less   than   forty  different  designs   dis- 
coverable in  its  decorative  work.     A  well-preserved  inscription  is  engraved  on  the  cup 
containing  the  names  of  the  twelve  apostles  as  given  in  the  Romish  Canon  of  the  Mass. 
The  Tara  Brooch,  in  the  general  character  and  exquisite  style  of  its  ornamentation, 

belongs  to  the  same  period  of  art 
as  the  Ardagh  Chalice.  It  was 
found  in  i85o,  near  the  sea- 
shore, by  the  child  of  a  poor 
woman,  who  afterwards  sold  it 
in  Drogheda.  The  workmanship 
is  so  highly  finished  that  to  be 
fairly  appreciated  it  should  be 
examined  through  a  powerful 
lens.  It  exhibits  seventy-six 
varieties  of  design,  of  the  class 
found  in  the  Ardagh  Chalice  and 
the  early  illuminated  Irish  MSS. 
The  obverse  and  reverse  are  both 
richly  decorated.  "  The  Tara 
Brooch,"  said  Dr.  Petrie,  "  is 
superior  to  any  thing  hitherto 
found  in  the  variety  of  its  orna- 
ments and  in  the  exquisite  de- 
licacy and  perfection  of  its  execu- 
tion." It  is  composed  of  what 
is  known  as  white  bronze,  a  mix- 
ture of  copper  and  tin. 

The  Ardagh  Chalice  deposed 
what  is  known  as  the  Cross 
of  Cong  from  the  proud  posi- 
tion of  chief  among  the  works  of  art  in  the  museum.  This  is  a  famous  relic,  dating 
from  the  Middle  Ages,  enshrining  and  illustrating,  the  traditions  and  life  of  the  early 
Irish  Church.  This  cross  was  constructed,  as  one  of  the  five  inscriptions  upon  it 
states,  for  the  following  purpose  :  "  In  this  cross  is  preserved  the  cross  on  which  the 
Founder  of  the  world  suffered."  In  other  words,  it  is  a  reliquary,  and  at  one  time  was 
believed  to  contain  a  piece  of  the  cross  upon  which  Jesus  Christ  suffered.  It  was  made 
by  order  of  Turlough  O'Connor,  father  of  the  last  king  who  ruled  Ireland  prior  to  the 
Norman  invasion,  about  the  year  1123,  and  placed  in  the  Church  of  Tuam,  during  the 

1  Early  Christian  Art  in  Ireland,  p.  81. 
40 


THE    TARA    BROOCH    (OBVERSE). 


IRELAND'S  EVE. 


Archbishopric  of  Muiredach  O'Duffy,  who  died  in  n5o.  This  is  clearly  shown  by  the 
inscriptions  still  decipherable  upon  it.  It  was  transferred  to  Cong  either  by  O'Duffy, 
who  died  there,  or  by  order  of  King  Turlough  O'Connor,  who  founded  and  endowed 
that  abbey.  At  the  time  of  the  Reformation  it  was  concealed  in  an  oaken  chest,  and 
early  in  the  present  century  a  parish  priest,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Prendergast,  found  chest  and 
relic  in  a  cottage.  From  his  successor  Professor  MacCullagh  bought  it,  and  presented 
it  to  the  Museum. 

The  shaft  is  thirty  inches  high.  It  is  of  oak,  covered  with  plates  of  copper.  On  the 
central  plate  of  the  front  at 
the  junction  of  the  cross  is  a 
large  crystal,  through  which 
what  was  supposed  to  be  the  true 
cross  could  be  seen.  Eighteen 
jewels  were  placed  at  regular 
intervals,  and  of  these  thirteen 
still  remain.  Two  out  of  the  four 
beads  which  originally  surrounded 
the  central  boss  remain.  The 
lower  part  of  the  shaft  is  the  head 
of  a  grotesque  animal,  beneath 
which  is  the  richly  decorated  ball 
containing  the  socket  into  which 
the  pole  was  inserted  by  which 
the  reliquary  was  borne  aloft  on 
processional  occasions. 

Coming  back  from  this  remote 
past,  we  must  glance  at  a  few 
other  points  of  special  note  before 
we  leave  Dublin  for  the  country. 
Dublin  Castle  possesses  few  note- 
worthy features  of  antiquarian  or 
architectural  interest.  The 
Chapel  Royal  is  a  work  of  high 
artistic  character,  and  Avell  repays 
a  visit.  Its  sculpture  is  fine,  and 
of  a  high  class.  The  Berming- 
ham    Tower    is    of    considerable 

■age  and  interest.  It  contains  valuable  State  papers,  and  was  formerly  used  as  a 
State  prison.  What  importance  attaches  to  the  Castle  now  arises  mainly  from  the 
fact  that  it  has  long  been  the  center  and  the  symbol  of  England's  authority  over 
Ireland. ' 

Dublin  is  favored  with  suburbs  that  are  easily  accessible,  beautiful  in  their  scenery,  and 
rich  in  historical  and  antiquarian  associations.  It  is  in  this  connection  although  it  hardly 
comes  under  the  description  of  a  suburb,  that  reference  must  be  made  to  Phoenix  Park. 

1  The  vaults  of  Christ  Church  Cathedral  date  to  an  earlier  period  than  that  of  St.  Patrick.  The  monumental  figures  o(  Strong- 
bow  and  Eva  will  be  noted.     $1,750  o~>o  have  been  spent  in  recent  restorations.     It  was  begun  by  the  Danes  in  1038. — Ed. 

41 


THE    TAKA    BROOCH    (REVERSE). 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 


The  name  has  no  reference  to  the  ancient  fable,  but  is  derived  from  fionn  uisge> 
clear  or  limpid  water,  the  name  originally  given  to  a  beautiful  spring  near  the  Phcenix 
Pillar.  This  being  pronounced  "  feenisk,"  was  easily  corrupted  into  Phcenix.  The  park 
was  seized  by  the  Crown  on  the  suppression  of  the  Knights  Templars,  whose  resi- 
dence was  at  Kilmainham,  and  who  owned  the  land  on  both  sides  of  the  Liffey.  It  is 
a  magnificent  piece  of  country,  seven  miles  in  circuit,  with  an  area  of  1,760  acres.  It 
is  well  wooded,  undulating  in  parts,  with  many  level  open  spaces,  in  which  hurling, 
football,  and  other  games  are  eagerly  played  by  the  youth  of  Dublin  ;  and,  from  differ- 


ent points  of  vantage,  very  fine 
limits  stand  the  Viceregal  Lodge, 
Under-Secretaries  for  Ireland,  a 
large  constabulary  barracks,  and  the 
Survey  work  is  carried  on.  It  also 
pie's  Gardens,  and  a  Zoological 
Ireland  is  commemorated  here  by 
lisk   to    Wellington   and    a   statue 

There  are 
dens  at  Glas- 
large  cemetery 
ran  is  buried. 
ern  round  tow- 
of  O'Connell 
the     height    of 

Curator's  house  was  once  the  abode 
of  aged  yew  trees  is  still  known  as 
well  be  prettier,  or  more  attractive 
on  a  fine  afternoon  in  early  sum- 
Needing  a  somewhat  longer 
are  Clontarf  and  Howth,  Clondal- 
of  these  are  much  frequented  by 
is  midway  between  Dublin  and 
famous  battle  fought  on  Good  Fri- 
and  the  Danes  under  Sihtric.  The 
power  broken,  but  the  chieftain  who 
typical  Irish  monarch  was  slain. 
976,  he  established  his  power  over 
was  able  and  strong  in  war,  wise  in 
works  of  peace.     He  built  bridges 


sSM 


M 


'  ^ 


CROSS  OF  CONG. 


views  are  obtained.  Within  its 
the  house  of  the  Chief  and  the 
military  school  and  infirmary,  a 
building  in  which  the  Ordnance 
contains  a  review  ground,  a  Peo- 
Gardens.  The  military  prowess  of 
an  imposing,  if  not  beautiful,  obe- 
to  Lord  Gough. 

Botanic  Gar- 
nevin,  and  a 
in  which  Cur- 
There  is  a  mod- 
er  in  memory 
which  rises  to 
160  feet.  The 
of  the  poet  Tickell,  and  a  grove 
"  Addison's  Walk."  No  place  could 
to  a  lover  of  botany  than  Glasnevin 
mer. 

journey,  and  yet  within  easy  reach, 
kin,  Kingstown,  and  Killiney.  All 
the  residents  of  Dublin.  Clontarf 
Howth,  and  was  the  scene  of  that 
day,  1014,  between  Brian  Borumha 
Danes  were  defeated  and  their 
has  ever  since  stood  out  as  the 
Brian  became  King  of  Munster  in 
the  whole  of  Ireland  in  1002.  He 
counsel,  and   not  unmindful  of  the 


over  the  Shannon  at  Athlone  and 
Lanesborough,  he  constructed  roads,  he  strengthened  the  forts  and  island  fortresses  of 
Munster.  He  dispensed  a  royal  hospitality,  he  administered  rigid  and  impartial 
justice,  and  established  peace  and  order  through  all  the  country,  so  that,  as  the 
historian  puts  it,  "a  woman  might  walk  in  safety  through  the  length  of  Ireland,  from 
Tory  Island  in  Donegal  to  Glandore  Harbor  in  Cork,  carrying  a  ring  of  gold 
on  a  horse-rod."  * 

Dr.  Stokes,  in  the  book  from  which  we  have  just  quoted,   gives  a   very  clear  and 

1  Ireland  and  the  Celtic  Chuvcli,  p.  291. 
42 


IRELAND'S  EYE. 

realistic  sketch  of  the  famous  battle.  It  was  fought  all  over  the  ground  now  occupied 
by  the  north  side  of  Dublin.  It  began  early  in  the  morning,  at  sunrise,  soon  after 
five  o'clock.  A  strong  north-east  wind  was  blowing.  The  Danish  inhabitants  of 
Dublin  crowded  the  walls  of  the  town,  which  clustered  thick  round  the  hill  now 
crowned  by  Christ  Church  Cathedral,  whence  a  splendid  view  of  the  tight  presented 
itself.  "  It  was  a  thoroughly  Celtic  fight,  without  any  skill  or  plan  or  manoeuvres, 
consisting  merely  of  a  series  of  individual  encounters,  which  are  told  in  a  very  Homeric 
style  ....  The  Raven  Standard  ever  fluttered  in  front  of  Sigurd,  who  carried 
destruction  with  him  wherever  he  went." 

Sigurd  is  at  length  slain  by  Morrogh  O'Brian,  the  Irish  leader,  who  in  turn  is 
mortally  wounded  by  a  Dane  named  Eric,  whom  Morrogh  slays  just  before  he  expires. 
The  Danes  are  then  utterly  routed,  and  multitudes  perish  in  trying  to  reach  their  ships 
on  the  beach  at  Clontarf.  But  in  the  hour  of  victory  came  the  worst  blow  to  the  Irish. 
Some  of  the  Danes  had  lied  to  the  woods  which  covered  the  heights  around  Dublin. 
"  Brian  had  taken  his  station  on  one  of  these  hills  to  engage  in  prayer,  like  Moses, 
attended  by  only  a  few  servants.  The  king  was  seated  on  a  fur  rug,  where  he  pro- 
longed his  petitions  from  early  morning  till  the  afternoon,  receiving  occasional  reports 
concerning  the  progress  of  the  battle  from  Latean,  his  attendant.  As  the  sun  began 
to  descend  towards  the  west,  the  apostate  deacon  Brodar  and  two  other  warriors 
approached  the  king's  station,  seeking  refuge  in  the  woods."  One  of  the  three  had 
been  in  Brian's  service,  and  he  called  Brodar's  attention  to  Brian,  saying,  "The  king, 
the  king!"  "  No,  no,  a  priest,  a  priest !  "  replied  Brodar.  "By  no  means,"  said  the 
soldier  ;  "  that  is  the  great  Kingf  Brian."  Brodar  then  turned  round  with  a  battle-axe 
in  his  hand.  The  aged  king  gathered  his  remaining  strength,  aimed  a  blow  at  Brodar, 
which  wounded  his  legs,  while  Brodar  cleft  Brian's  head  in  twain.  He  then  continued 
his  flight  to  the  woods,  but  was  shortly  afterwards  taken  and  slain.  Malachey,  King  of 
Meath,  who  had  remained  in  reserve,  now  completed  the  work,  routing  the  enemy  on 
every  side,  thus  terminating  the  domination,  though  not  the  presence,  of  the  Danes  in 
Ireland.  ' 

Thus  passed  away  King  Brian  Boru,  in  the  hour  of  his  final  victory. 
And  now,  every  few  minutes,  tramcars  start  from  the  Nelson  Pillar,  which 
speedily  carry  the  curious  traveler  over  the  plain  where  the  beaten  Danes  tied  in  the 
vain  hope  of  making  good  their  escape  in  the  ships  which  had  so  often  carried  blood- 
shed and  terror  around  the  Irish  coasts.  A  curious  proof  of  the  accuracy  of  the  old 
Irish  Annals  has  been  brought  to  light  by  modern  science.  The  early  accounts  of  the 
battle  represent  the  tide  as  being  at  its  flood  at  the  time  of  the  rout,  viz.,  about  6  o'clock  ; 
and  Dr.  Haughton  has  proved  that  on  April  23rd,  1014,  it  was  high  water  in  Dublin  Bay 
at  5.55  p.  m. 

Passing  Clontarf,  the  traveler  reaches  the  Hill  of  Howth,  not  only  the  most  promi- 
nent feature  in  the  scenery  of  Dublin  Bay,  but  also  a  spot  rich  in  antiquities  and  in  the 
fine  views  to  be  obtained  from  it.  Here  is  the  ancient  port  of  Dublin.  Here  the  old 
Norse  sea-rovers  used  to  collect  prior  to  one  of  their  marauding  expeditions.  Hard  by 
the  harbor  stand  the  considerable  ruins  of  the  fine  old  abbey.  Beyond  that  is  situated 
the  castle,  which  is  still  a  tine  residence,  with  very  beautiful  grounds.  Near  the  Car- 
rigmore  cliffs  stands  a  splendid  cromlech,  consisting  of  ten  huge  masses  of  rock,  one 

I  Ireland  and  the  Celtic  Church,  302-305. 

<3 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 


forming  a  table  eighteen  feet  long.  Continuing  the  walk  round  the  headland,  the 
well-known  Bailey  light  comes  into  view,  and  in  completing  the  circuit  fine  views  of  Ire- 
land's Eye,  of  Dublin  and  the  Wicklow  Hills  delight  the  visitor. 

The  chief  interest  of  Howthis  its  lighthouse,  with  the  wonderful  gas-light  beacon  of 
Mr.  Wigham,  which  has  revolutionized  the  old  system  of  using  oil  lamps  for  light- 
house illumination.  According  to  the  depth  of  fog  and  atmospheric  opacity,  additional 
supplies  of  light  are  available  without  delay,  and  a  penetrating  power,  hitherto  un- 
dreamed of,  at  once  supplied. 


44 


THE    ESPLANADE    AND    BRAY    HEAD. 


CHAPTER  II. 


The  Garden  of   Ireland. 


FEW  capitals  are  richer  in  picturesque  scenery  close  at  hand  than  Dublin.  Still  fewer 
possess  in  addition  wide  tracks  of  exceedingly  lovely  country  so  close  that  almost 
all  of  the  best  parts  can  easily  be  visited  in  a  day's  picnic.  The  inhabitant  of 
Dublin  need  be  at  no  loss  how  or  where  to  enjoy  himself  when  he  snatches  a  holiday 
from  the  ordinary  routine  of  daily  work.  The  counties  of  Wicklow  and  Wexford  pre- 
sent an  almost  embarrassing  choice  of  delightful  excursions. 

He  has  only  to  take  the  train,  and  in  a  few  minutes  he  is  at  Kingstown,  a  fashion- 
able suburb  of  the  great  city.  This  is  a  modern  place,  and  owes  much  of  its  importance 
to  the  fact  that  the  mail  traffic  between  Dublin  and  Holyhead  passes  through  it.  Large 
hotels  have  been  built  here.  There  are  multitudes  of  well-kept  villas,  and  it  has  become  a 
fashionable  resort  for  well-to-do  merchants  and  people  of  leisure.  Kingstown  during 
the  summer  gives  itself  up  to  music  and  promenading,  to  bathing  and  lounging,  to 
yachting  and  the  never-failing  delight  of  watching  the  mail  packets  come  and  go.  The 
land  rises  abruptly  from  the  harbor,  enabling  the  place  to  look  beautiful  under  the  white 
light  of  day,  and  even  more  beautiful  under  the  subdued  glow  of  the  many  lights  dotted 
about  the  hilly  streets  and  lanes. 

The  favorite  excursion  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Kingstown  is  the  walk  to 
the  top  of  Killiney,  a  bold  hill  rising  to  the  height  of  480  feet.  Enthusiastic  residents 
occasionally  affirm  that  the  view  from  the  top  of  this  on  a  fine  clear  day  has  no  rival  in 
Europe  ;  and  although  the  traveler  may  not  always  see  his  way  to  the  acceptance  of 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

this  conclusion,  he  will  readily  admit  that  it  is  impossible  to  get  a  lovelier  view  at  so  little 
cost  in  the  way  of  exertion. 

A  still  more  fashionable  summer  resort  is  Bray.  This  place  is  even  younger  than 
Kingstown,  having  been  quite  unknown  until  comparatively  recent  times.  Fifty  years  ago 
it  was  occupied  by  a  few  fishermen's  huts  ;  now  it  is  crowded  with  enormous  hotels,  fine 
private  residences,  and  all  the  signs  of  a  considerable  resident  population.  Fifty  years 
ago  the  shore  was  a  lonely  beach  ;  now  it  is  a  magnificent  esplanade,  extending  along 
the  water's  edge,  backed  by  spacious  villas  and  supplied  with  baths,  pleasure-gardens, 
and  all  the  devices  calculated  to  attract  and  detain  those  who  like  to  combine  the  com- 
forts of  a  big  town  with  the  advantages  of  sea-air  and  sea-bathing-. 

Rising  abruptly  to  the  south,  is  the  Bri  or  Bree,  meaning  headland,  whence  comes 
its  name.      This  has  been  tunneled  by  the  railway,  and  so  laid   out   that   the    walk 


SUGAR-LOAF   MOUNTAIN. 


around  the  face  of  the  promontory  affords  a  varied  series  of  delightful  views.  In  the 
height  of  the  season  Bray  is  very  lively,  and  all  those  phases  of  life  which  have  been 
developed  by  the  modern  fondness  for  fashionable  sea-side  summer  life  can  here  be 
studied  by  means  of  numerous  examples. 

But  Bray  is  only  at  the  gate  of  the  beauties  of  Wicklow ;  and  within  certain  limits 
the  further  afield  one  travels  the  richer  is  the  reward,  if  the  traveler  be  a  lover  of 
nature,  and  in  sympathy  with  what  has  been  most  worthy  in  the  past.  Much  that  is 
very  pretty  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Bray  is  somewhat  vulgarized  by  the 
nearness  of  that  center  of  fashionable  idleness.  It  is  when  the  traveler  gets  twenty 
or  thirty  miles  away  that  he  enters  into  the  full  enjoyment  of  a  really  lovely  region, 
where  the  tired  worker,  or  the  student,  may  regain  elasticity  for  the  mind,  tone  for  the 
nervous  system,  and  restoration  of  bodily  vigor.  Few  could  spend  their  holidays  in 
46 


= 

H 
O 


o 
d 


THE  OAR  DEN  OF  IRELAND. 


visiting  Sugar-loaf  Mountain,  Glendalough,  the  Vale  of  Avoca,  Glenmalure,  and  a 
dozen  other  beautiful  adjacent  districts  without  being  the  better  physically  and  mentally, 
and  without  increasing  their  love  for  natural  beauty. 

To  bc^in  with  the  things  nearest  to  Bray.  No  visitor  is  long  at  a  loss  as  to  what 
objects  are  to  be  seen,  or  how  he  may  see  them.  At  every  turn  car-drivers,  hackney 
coachmen,  and  guides  offer  to  conduct  you  to  the  Dargle,  to  the  Glen  of  Downs,  to 
Powerscourt  Waterfall,  or  where  you  will,  within  a  radius  of  ten  or  fifteen  miles.  The 
most  popular  excursion  is  to  the  Dargle  and  Powerscourt.  The  former  is  a  beautiful 
little  mountain  glen,  well  wooded,  kindly  furnished  by  nature  with  that  usual  high  rock 
from  which  fable  insists  upon  hurling  the  usual  unhappy  lover.  Like  many  other  much 
frequented  spots,  the  reputation  of  the  Dargle  sometimes  suffers  from  the  extravagant 
praises  of  those  who  admire  it  "  not  wisely  but  too  well."  The  bridge  is  a  favorite 
spot  not  only  for  the  lover  of  the  beautiful,  but  also  a  starting-place  for  the  angler.  The 
origin  of  the  name  is  a 
subject  of  controversy. 
Some  maintain  that  it 
comes  from  the  Celtic 
Daur  Glin,  or  Vale  of 
Oaks  ;  but  Dr.  Joyce, 
on  the  other  hand,  main- 
tains that  it  comes  from 
an  Irish  word  dearg, 
meaning  red,  and  that 
Deargail,  now  Dargle, 
means  a  red  little  spot. 
He  fortifies  his  view  by 
saying:  "  I  have  on  oth- 
er occasions  observed  how 
happily  the  old  name-form- 
ers generally  succeeded 
in    designating  places   by 

their  most  obvious  characteristics,  every  name  striking  straight  for  the  feature  that 
most  strongly  attracted  attention,  so  that  to  this  day  a  person  moderately  skilled  in 
such  matters  may  often  predict  the  physical  peculiarities  or  the  aspect  of  a  place  as 
soon  as  he  hears  the  name.  Nothing  could  be  more  appropriate  in  this  respect  than 
the  Dargle,  which  every  one  will  recognize  as  the  name  of  a  beautiful  glen  near  Bray  in 
Wicklow.  The  prevailing  rock  in  the  glen  is  very  soft  and  of  a  reddish  color,  some- 
times with  a  yellowish  tinge,  but  in  several  places  deepening  into  a  dark  purplish  red 
The  visitor  can  hardly  fail  to  observe  this,  almost  as  soon  as  he  enters  the  lower  gate, 
where  the  red  stones  come  to  the  surface  of  the  path  under  his  feet.  The  reddish 
color  also  pervades  the  clay,  which  is  merely  the  rock  worn  down  ;  and  is  very  striking 
in  several  spots  along  the  sides  of  the  glen,  where  the  clay  and  the  rock  are  exposed, 
especially  after  rain,  which  brings  out  the  prevailing  hue  very  vividly."  * 

Near  the  head  of  the  glen  is   the   well-situated  village   of  Enniskerry,  and  after  a 
drive  of  a  few  miles  through  Lord  Powerscourt's  property,  the  Powerscourt  Waterfall 

1  Irish  Names  of  Places,  li.  39. 

49 


THE    DAKGLE. 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 


is  reached.     This  again  is  attractive,  although   occasionally  visitors  are  disappointed, 
because  somewhat   overdrawn   descriptions  have  raised  their  expectations  too  high. 
The  effectiveness  of  the  fall  necessarily  varies  with  the  body  of  water  coming  over  it. 
It  is  a  fine  fall  and  picturesquely  situated  ;  but  he  who  goes  fancying  it  is  as  picturesque 
as  the  Kilefos  in  the  Naerodal,  or  as  voluminous  as  the  Mongefos  in  the  Romsdal,  will 
assuredly  be  disappointed,  no  matter  how  heavily  it  may  have  rained  just  prior  to  his  visit. 
A  good  pedestrian  can  make  this  the  starting-point  for   a  trip  among  the  Wick- 
low  Mountains,  several  of  the    highest  peaks   being    in    the    neighborhood,  the    high- 
est     mountain      being     Kippure, 
which  just    succeeds    in    overtop- 
ping  the    Donegal     Errigal,    and 
reaches  an  altitude  of  2,475  feet. 
These  do  not  seem  very  lofty  in 
comparison  with  the  Alpine  giants, 
but  they  are  quite  high  enough  to 
afford  healthy  exercise  and  many 
splendid  prospects. 

A  very  fine  drive  is  to  continue 
on  from  the  waterfall  along  Glen- 
cree  to  the  Upper  and  Lower 
Lough  Bray,  1,453  feet  above  the 
sea,  nestling  at  the  foot  of  Kip- 
pure, and  then  return  by  way  of 
Enniskerry.  Any  one  wishful  to 
see  a  good  specimen  of  a  fine 
Irish  country  residence  can  gratify 
his  taste  by  visiting  Powerscourt 
House.  It  is  more  remarkable  for 
extent  and  beauty  of  situation 
than  for  exceptional  excellence  in 
architecture.  Powerscourt  de- 
mesne covers  about  26,000  acres. 
The  first  English  owner  was 
De  la  Poer,  one  of  Strongbow's 
companions.  The  O'Byrnes  and 
O'Tooles  of  Wicklow  captured  it 
in  Henry  VIII.  s  time,  and  when 
retaken  it  was  bestowed  upon 
the  Talbots.  In  1 556  the  Kavanaghs  acquired  possession  of  it ;  and  in  1608  James  I. 
bestowed  it  upon  Sir  R.  Wingfield,  who  was  created  Viscount  Powerscourt  in  161 8. 

On  the  road  from  Enniskerry  to  Dublin,  and  within  an  easy  drive  of  Bray,  is  a  wild 
ravine  known  as  the  Scalp.  The  road  runs  over  a  shoulder  of  Shankhill  Mountain  and 
through  this  ravine  ;  it  presents  a  very  wild  appearance,  enormous  masses  of  granite 
being  heaped  up  in  grand  and  picturesque  confusion  on  either  side.  It  looks  as  if 
nature,  in  order  to  spare  man  the  trouble  of  blasting  a  road,  had  by  some  mighty  con- 
vulsion torn  a  rent  through  the  mountain  just  wide  enough  for  a  high  road.  Professor 
50 


POWERSCOURT    WATERFALL. 


THE  GARDEN  OF  IRELAND. 

Hill  has  shown  that  the  Scalp  was  once  the  channel  of  a  great  river  that  drained  dis- 
tricts of  land,  now  denuded  of  extensive  rock  deposits,  and  whicn  discharged  itself 
through  the  Irish  Sea  in  distant  ages.  From  the  south  entrance  a  very  fine  view  is 
obtained,  having  in  the  foreground  the  Greater  and  the  Lesser  Sugar  Loaf  Mountains. 

Another  pleasant  trip  is  along  the  road  which  skirts  the  foot  of  the  Great  Sugar 
Loaf  Mountain,  passing  through  the  Glen  of  Downs,  another  of  these  lovely  Wicklow 
dells.  It  consists  of  a  deep,  well-wooded  ravine,  the  banks  at  some  points  rising  to  a 
height  of  800  feet.     The  road  runs  to  Delgany,  whence  the  return  to  Bray  is  direct. 

But,  as  we  have  already  suggested,  he  who  would  rightly  appreciate  the  scenery  of 
this  part  of  Ireland  must  go  somewhat  further.       In  the  central  and  southern  part  of 


POWERSCOURT    HOUSE. 
{From  a  photograph  by  Lawrence  of  Dublin.) 


"Wicklow  are  to  be  found  examples  both  of  the  softer  and  lovely  country,  and  of  the 
gloomy  and  wild  mountain  scenery.  The  center  towards  which  all  excursions  in  this 
region  tend  is  the  Vale  of  Glendalough,  one  of  the  loveliest  spots  upon  which  the  eye 
can  rest.  It  is  associated,  like  so  many. other  beautiful  parts  of  Ireland,  with  the  past 
history  and  religious  life  of  the  nation  ;  and  the  national  tendency  to  associate  romance 
and  tragedy  with  exceptional  natural  features  is  well  illustrated  here. 

Glendalough  is  a  mountain  valley,  situated,  fortunately,  in  the  opinion  of  the  lover 
of  nature,  some  miles  from  the  nearest  railway  station.  It  is  shut  in  on  every  side, 
except  the  east,  by  mountains,  and  starting  from  it  several  smaller  valleys  run  up  into 
the  hills  on  either  side.  Two  lakes  lie  embosomed  in  the  valley,  and  looking  towards 
the  upper  end  from  the  eastern  entrance  it  appears  to  be  entirely  enclosed  by  abrupt 
and  lofty  mountains.     To  the  east  of  the  lakes,  situated  in  the  center  of  the  valley,  is 

si 


IRELAND    ILL  USTRA  TED. 


a  remarkable  cluster  of  ancient  buildings — a  round  tower,  early  Irish  churches,  one 
nearly  perfect,  others  in  ruins,  the  remains  of  an  ancient  cathedral,  an  early  cross,  and  a 
considerable  number  of  old  and  modern  tombstones.  The  buildings  clustered  at  this 
spot,  together  with  others  scattered  over  the  valley,  make  up  the  far-famed  Seven 
Churches  of  Glendalough. 

But  before  we  enter  into  fuller  detail,  it  may  be  well  to  glance  at  the  various  ways 
of  reaching  this  valley.  If  Bray  is  the  starting-point,  Rathnew  is  the  nearest  station, 
and  the  pedestrian  will  find  it  an  agreeable  walk  to  go  by  way  of  the  Devil's  Glen  and 
the  Roundwood  Reservoir.  Those  not  equal  to  a  ten  or  fifteen  mile  stretch  can  ride  to 
the  Glen,  walk  up  that,  and  regain  their  car  at  the  top.  Approached  from  the  south, 
Rathdrum  is  the  station,  and  then  the  visitor  has  a  walk  or  drive  of  about 
ten  miles  through  most  delightful  country.  We  should  be  disposed  to 
recommend  Rathdrum  as  the  starting-point.  As  there  is  a  capital  hotel  at 
Glendalough,  and  as  the  country  is  admirably  suited  for  walking,  the 
visitor  with  time  and  strength  at  his  disposal  need  not  choose  the  short- 
est road,  but  may  reach  the  Seven  Churches  by  way  of  the  Military 
Road  and  Glenmalure.  This  road  is  a  measure  of  the  difficulties  that 
have  been  experienced  in  the  past  in  the  government  of  these 
districts.  It  was  built  during  the  troubles  of  1798  to  facilitate  the 
movements  of  troops  in  this  region  ;    it  remains  as  a  boon  to   the 

% 


5* 


THE    SCALP. 


THE  GARDEN  OF  IRELAND. 

adventurous  and  scenery-loving  traveler.  Glenmalure  is  one  of  the  finest  of  Wicklow 
valleys,  and  when  at  DrumgofF,  where  the  road  from  Rathdrum  joins  the  Military  Road, 
the  traveler  can  easily,  if  he  wishes,  obtain  a  guide,  and  make  the  ascent  of  Lugnaquilla, 
the  highest  mountain  in  Wicklow,  3,039  feet.  The  view  from  the  summit,  over  Wexford, 
Waterford,  and  Cork,  is  very  extensive. 

But  the  great  majority  prefer  the  beaten  path ;  that  which  runs  by  the  Vale  of  Clara 
to  Laragh.  And  much  beyond  the  fact  that  it  is  the  shorter  and  more  convenient  may  be 
said  for  this  route  ;  as  a  drive  it  is  not  easy  to  find  its  equal.  Rathdrum  occupies  a 
lovely  situation  on  the  Avonmore  River,  at  the  junction  of  two  valleys  ;  through  one  of 
these  comes  the  railroad  from  Wexford,  and  along  the  other  runs  the  road  to  Glenda- 
lough. The  whole  drive  to  Laragh  is  a  succession  of  beautiful  views,  the  road  following 
the  Vale  of  Clara.  The  Avonmore  river  is  almost  always  in  sight,  and  usually  at  a  great 
distance  below  the  traveler.  The  slopes  of  the  hills  are  richly  wooded.  At  Laragh  the 
road  turns  abruptly  to  the  west,  and  very  soon  traces  of  the  manifold  remains  of  ancient 
buildings,  which  abound  in  this  region,  begin  to  appear.  The  road  skirts  the  northern 
bank  of  a  little  stream,  at  a  considerable  elevation  above  it.  On  the  southern  bank, 
about  a  mile  from  Laragh,  are  the  ruins  known  as  the  Priory  of  St.  Saviour's,  probably 
the  site  of  an  ancient  monastery,  and,  according  to  some,  of  the  ancient  religious  town  of 
Glendalough.  The  remains  are  scanty,  but  they  exhibit  many  curious  specimens  of  Irish 
ornamental  carving  of  the  ninth  and  tenth  centuries.  A  few  yards  from  the  road,  nearly 
opposite  the  Priory,  stand  the  walls  of  a  tiny  structure  known  as  Trinity  Church.  Il 
belongs  to  a  very  early  period,  and  exhibits  fine  examples  of  a  square-headed  doorway, 
a  choir  arch  and  chancel  windows. 

Shortly  after  passing  this  church,  the  Vale  of  Glendalough  comes  into  sight,  and 
presents  on  a  fine  day  one  of  the  most  beautiful  pictures  that  the  Garden  of  Ireland  can 
show.  To  the  right  is  the  Vale  of  Glendasan,  to  the  left  Glendalough  ;  a  mountain  juts 
out  boldly  to  a  well-defined  edge,  separating  the  two  valleys,  and  in  the  distance  are 
clearly  seen  the  mountains  that  shut  in  the  upper  end  of  the  valley.  If  the  visitor  is 
driving  it  is  customary  to  take  him  up  to  the  western  end  of  the  valley,  by  the  shores  of 
the  upper  lake,  and  leave  him  to  explore  the  beauties  and  antiquities  of  that  region,  and 
then  walk  down  again  to  the  cashel.  By  these  shores  St.  Kevin,  the  founder  of  the  first 
ecclesiastical  buildings  erected  here,  lived  his  hermit  life.  The  saint  is  an  undoubtedly 
historical  character,  and  flourished  in  the  earl)-  part  of  the  sixth  century.  The  facts  seem 
to  be  that  he  built  the  cell  on  the  south  shore  of  the  lake,  also  part  of  the  building  known 
as  St.  Kevin's  Kitchen,  and  that  he  lived  for  years  in  the  vale  ;  but  as  usual  legend  has 
been  very  busy  with  his  name.  Once  when  the  saint,  according  to  his  habit,  extended 
his  hand  from  the  window  of  his  cell  in  the  attitude  of  supplication,  a  blackbird  dropped 
her  eggs  into  it.  He  never  altered  the  position,  hand  or  arm,  until  the  eggs  were 
hatched!  It  was  by  these  lakes  that  King  OToole,  when  too  old  to  hunt,  used  to  amuse 
himself  by  watching  his  geese  swim.  Great  was  his  grief  when  his  favorite  gander 
became  too  old  to  fly.  To  him  comes  the  saint,  "  What  will  you  give  me  if  I  make 
him  fly  again  for  you?"  "  Why,  I'll  give  you  all  the  ground  he  flies  over,  even  sup- 
pose he  flew  round  the  whole  glen."  With  that  exactness  always  noticeable  on  these 
occasions,  the  gander  did  fly  round  the  whole  glen.  "Now,"  said  the  saint,  "  King 
OToole,  be  as  good  as  your  word,  give  me  this  place,  and  I  will  dedicate   it  to  God." 

S3 


I  RE  LA  ND  ILL  USTRA  TED. 

And  King  O'Toole,  "  putting  a  handsome  face  on  it,"  made  over  the  valley  forever  and 
a  day  to  the  enterprising  saint. 

The  savage  side  of  asceticism,  and  its  unnatural  violation  of  the  duties  and  claims 
of  ordinary  life,  are  illustrated  by  the  legend  of  Kathleen.  To  escape  from  her  affec- 
tionate entreaties,  the  saint  fled  to  the  hole  in  the  cliff  overhanging  the  upper  lake,  up 
to  which  tourists  occasionally  climb,  undergoing  thus  needless  risks,  to  the  enrichment 
of  the  wily  boatmen  and  guides.  But  the  saint's  hopes  of  peace  were  vain.  Even 
here  Kathleen  found  him. 

Fearless  she  had  tracked  his  feet, 
To  this  rocky  wild  retreat ! 
And  when  morning  met  his  view, 
Her  mild  glances  met  it  too. 

Ah !  you  saints  have  cruel  hearts  ! 
Sternly  from  his  bed  he  starts, 
And  with  rude  repulsive  shock, 
Hurls  her  from  the  beetling  rock. 

That  such  a  legend  could  be  told,  as  it  undoubtedly  was,  to  the  saint's  credit,  is  but 
one  of  manifold  proofs  that  a  too  exclusive  and  mistaken  notion  about  the  salvation  of 
one's  own  soul  may  lead  to  extraordinary  callousness  as  to  the  rights  of  others,  and 
the  claims  of  mercy.  But  St.  Kevin  is  not  responsible  for  the  foolish  legends  that 
have  centered  about  his  personality.  To  him  belongs  whatever  credit  is  due  for  the 
foundation  of  an  ecclesiastical  establishment  at  Glendalough.  Later  generations  ex- 
tended and  developed  his  work. 

In  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  eastern  end  of  the  upper  lake  are  the  remains 
of  what  is  now  called  Refeert  Church,  dating  from  St.  Kevin's  time,  and  exhibiting 
still  a  fine  specimen  of  a  very  ancient  doorway.  It  was  here,  according  to  tradition, 
that  King  O'Toole  was  buried. 

There  is  a  fine  walk  along  the  southern  edge  of  the  valley  from  the  upper  lake  to 
the  main  cluster  of  ancient  buildings.  These  are  all  enclosed  in  a  cashel  or  wall, 
entered  through  a  fine  old  gateway,  which  was  standing  forty  years  ago,  and  which, 
having  fallen  down  since,  was  restored  and  securely  rebuilt  some  years  ago,  the  same 
stones  being  used  and  replaced  as  far  as  possible  in  their  original  order.  The  struct- 
ures of  note  here  are  St.  Kevin's  Kitchen,  the  Lady  Chapel,  the  Cathedral  and  the 
Round  Tower.  Of  these  the  first  is,  at  any  rate  in  part,  contemporaneous  with  the 
saint.  It  once  consisted  of  a  nave  and  chancel,  with  a  sacristy  at  the  east  end  and  a 
belfry  at  the  west.  The  chancel  has  disappeared  ;  the  other  parts  remain.  Of  these 
the  nave  only  dates  from  the  sixth  century.  It  is  called  the  Kitchen  from  the  absurd 
notion,  once  prevalent,  that  the  belfry  was  a  chimney  !  Divested  of  the  turret  and  the 
sacristy,  the  building  resembles  somewhat  St.  Columbkille's  house  at  Kells.  Its  side 
walls  are  eleven  feet  high,  and  the  ridge  of  the  roof  thirty-one  feet  above  the  ground. 
The  belfry  and  sacristy  are  later  additions  when  the  building  was  used  as  a  church. 
Dr.  Petrie  sees  no  reason  to  doubt  that  •'  this  building,  in  its  original  state,  was  at  once 
the  habitation  and  the  oratory  of  the  eminent  ecclesiastic  to  whom  the  religious  estab- 
lishment at  Glendalough  owed  its  origin  ;  and  it  is  highly  probable  that  it  received,, 
shortly  after  his  death,  those  additions  which  were  necessary  to  make  it  a  church,  fit 
for  the  worship  of  those  who  would  be  led  thither  from  reverence  to  his  name."1 

1  The  Round  Towers  of  Ireland,  p.  435. 
54 


THE  TALE    OF   ATOCA. 


THE  GARDEN  OF  IRELAND. 

The  Round  Tower  is  very  ancient,  dating  most  probably  from  about  the  tenth  cen- 
tury. It  is  well  built,  but,  like  several  others,  has  lost  its  original  roof  and  some  of  the 
upper  courses.  These  have  been  restored  in  recent  years,  and  a  conical  roof  having 
been  added,  the  tower  presents  much  the  same  appearance  as  it  must  have  done  origi- 
nally. The  doorway  is  now  about  ten  feet  from  the  ground,  and  was  probably  origi- 
nally fifteen  feet,  there  having  been  in  the  course  of  centuries  an  accumulation  of  debris 
around  its  base.  In  the  engraving  the  tower  is  depicted  as  it  was  prior  to  the  restora- 
tion of  the  roof. 

The  small  church,  erroneously  called  now  the  Church  of  Our  Lady,  is,  in  the  opinion 
of  Dr.  Petrie,  contemporary  with  St.  Kevin's  House.  The  Cathedral — a  somewhat 
ambitious  name  for  so  small  a  structure — is  roofless.  The  nave  is  very  ancient,  and 
the  west  door  is  a  fine  specimen  of  one  of  the  earliest  types  of  ecclesiastical  architect- 
ure. The  chancel  is  somewhat  later  in  style,  and  therefore  in  date.  Even  if  we  can- 
not accept  the  earlier  date,  although  there  seems  no  sufficient  reason  to  doubt  it,  the 
storms  of  nearly  a  thousand  years,  and  all  the  mischances  and  ravages  of  thirty  genera- 
tions, have  failed  to  destroy  these  examples  of  Irish  piety  and  skill. 

But  with  many  the  interest  of  their  visit  to  Glendalough  depends  but  slightly  upon 
these  architectural  treasures.  They  go  for  the  exhilaration  of  the  tramp  or  the  ride ; 
they  delight  in  the  bold  hill  contours,  in  the  peaceful  lakes,  in  the  smiling  valley,  in  the 
wooded  slopes.  And  these  are  sufficient  reasons.  He  who  can  traverse  the  rich  and 
varied  country  encircling  the  valley,  or  ramble  along  its  pleasant  paths  without  being 
the  better  for  it,  is  not  to  be  envied.  And  yet  it  must  be  admitted  that  some  due 
appreciation  of  the  relative  antiquity  of  the  various  remains,  of  the  part  they  have 
played  in  religious  history,  of  the  testimony  they  bear  to  the  zeal,  industry,  faith  and 
skill  of  past  generations — all  the  more  powerful  because  this  can  neither  flatter  nor  de- 
ceive— greatly  heightens  the  pleasure  and  increases  the  benefit  of  such  a  visit. 

On  a  bright  summer  day  here,  as  at  Clonmacnois,  at  Cashel,  at  Slane,  there  is  the 
blending  of  the  fresh  and  lovely  present  with  the  dim,  yet  no  less  real,  past.  The  air 
the  sky,  the  face  of  nature,  the  contour  of  the  mountains  are  much  the  same  to  us  as 
they  were  to  St.  Kevin  ;  but  as  we  pace  the  unroofed  nave  of  the  cathedral,  or  stand 
in  the  shadow  of  the  lofty  tower,  or  try  to  decipher  the  sculptures  on  an  ancient  cross  ; 
as  we  think  of  the  successive  generations  of  Celt  and  Saxon  that  have  passed  away 
whilst  these  relics  of  human  skill  have  survived,  of  the  fierce  Northmen  who  again  and 
again  ravaged  the  valley,  of  the  long  struggle  that  raged  for  the  possession  of 
these  fair  regions,  there  comes  upon  us  that  pleasant  emotion,  due  in  part  to  facts  and 
in  part  to  imagination,  the  sense  of  satisfaction  that  we  are  able  to  see,  mark,  and  pon- 
der over  the  works  of  other  ages,  surviving  in  a  natural  setting,  which  is  at  once  ever 
old  and  ever  new. 

The  traveler  who  has  reached  Glendalough  from  Rathdrum  will  find  it  pleasant  to 
return  by  way  of  Roundwood  and  the  Devil's  Glen.  The  drive  to  the  former  is  not 
so  interesting  as  that  through  the  Vale  of  Clara,  but  the  walk  along  the  great  reservoir 
of  the  Vartry  that  supplies  Dublin  is  worth  a  visit.  This  reservoir  is  an  artificial  lough, 
with  an  area  of  400  acres,  and  formed  by  a  huge  dam  1 ,600  feet  long,  40  feet  wide  at 
the  base  and  30  at  the  top.  It  can  supply  the  metropolis  at  the  rate  of  12,000,000 
gallons  a  day.  The  water  travels  twenty-four  miles  through  pipes  ere  it  reaches  those 
who  use  it. 

57 


IRELAND   ILLUSTRATED. 

Near  to  the  Vartry  reservoir  is  a  road  leading  to  the  head  of  the  Devil's  Glen. 
This  is  a  very  fine  wooded  glen  about  two  miles  long,  through  which  the  Vartry  flows- 
Entering  from  the  upper  end,  the  finest  scenery  is  met  first.  The  glen  is  closed  by 
abrupt  ledges  of  rock,  and  over  these  the  river  tumbles  and  roars  in  a  succession  of  fine 
falls.  Cars  are  not  allowed  to  drive  through,  and  so  those  who  wish  to  see  the  beauties 
must  perforce  walk.  It  is  well  worth  the  trouble.  Rock  scenery  is  the  chief  feature 
of  the  glen.  It  was  a  prominent  place  in  the  1798  rebellion,  and  was  for  a  time  one 
of  the  strongholds  of  the  famous  Wicklow  general,  Holt. 

The  road  from  the  Devil's  Glen  through  Rathnew  to  Wicklow  has  many  pleasant 
spots,  though  at  neither  place  is  there  anything  of  special  interest.  The  Garden  of 
Ireland  extends  further  to  the  south  and  west,  and  below  Rathdrum  is  situated  its  most 
celebrated  district,  the  Vale  of  Avoca.  This  is  a  lovely  valley  through  which  the 
Avonmore  flows,  until  it  meets  and  mingles  its  waters  with  the  Avonbeg.  The  spot 
where  the  union  takes  place  is  known  as  the  Meeting  of  the  Waters,  and  it  is  difficult 
to  conceive  of  lovelier  scenery.  On  a  sunny  summer's  day  the  visitor  feels  that  the 
United  Kingdom  cannot  show  a  fairer  scene.  Still  even  here  man  has  done  what  he 
can  to  mar  the  beauty.  The  railway — a  necessary  evil — runs  through  it  ;  yet  as  it  is 
only  a  single  line  and  trains  are  not  frequent,  this  is  not  such  a  drawback  as  it  might 
be.  But  between  Rathdrum  and  Gorey  great  beds  of  copper  pyrites  exist,  and  were 
recently  being  worked,  and  the  result,  while  probably  satisfactory  from  the  commercial 
point  of  view,  has  been  disastrous  to  the  picturesque  effect.  The  great  heaps  of  red- 
dish-brown refuse  seem  sadly  out  of  place.  The  associations  and  evidences  of  mining 
come  upon  one  as  a  painful  contrast,  when  suddenly  encountered  in  the  midst  of  so 
much  pure  loveliness.  Doubtless  some  of  the  popularity  of  this  region  is  due  to 
Moore's  verses  ;  but  then  his  lines  do  fairly  represent  the  impression  produced  upon  a 
sympathetic  observer  by  the  quiet  beauty  of  these  peaceful  scenes.  Allowing  some- 
thing for  Celtic  imagination,  the  description  even  yet  holds  good  : 

"  There  is  not  in  this  wide  world  a  valley  so  sweet 

As  the  vale  in  whose  bosom  the  bright  waters  meet ; 

Oh  !  the  last  rays  of  feeling  and  life  must  depart 

Ere  the  bloom  of  that  valley  shall  fade  from  my  heart 

Yet,  it  was  not  that  Nature  had  shed  o'er  the  scene 

Her  purest  of  crystal,  and  brightest  of  green  ; 

'Twas  not  the  soft  magic  of  streamlet  or  hill, 

Oh,  no  !  it  was  something  more  exquisite  still. 

'Twas  that  friends,  the  beloved  of  my  bosom,  were  near, 

Who  made  each  dear  scene  of  enchantment  more  dear  ; 

And  who  felt  how  the  best  charms  of  Nature  improve 

When  we  see  them  reflected  from  looks  that  we  love. 

Sweet  Vale  of  Avoca  !  how  calm  could  I  re-t 

In  thy  bosom  of  shade  with  the  friends  I  love  best, 

Where  the  storms  that  we  feel  in  this  cold  world  should  cease, 

And  our  hearts,  like  thy  waters,  be  mingled  in  peace." 

A  few  miles  southwest  of  Wooden  Bridge  Station  is  the  wood  of  Shillelagh,  famous 
as  having  given  the  name  to  that  weapon  with  which  so  many  Irish  heads  have  been 
broken  in  past  days.  But  as  long  ago  as  1693  the  greater  part  of  the  wood  was  cut 
down  for  use  in  the  furnaces  of  the  ironworks  of  that  period.  Westminster  Hall  is 
said  to  have  been  roofed  with  oak  cut  from  the  woods  of  Shillelagh. 
S* 


THE  GARDEN  OF  IRELAND. 

The  railroad  from  Wooden  Bridge  to  Wexford  passes  through  a  country  which,  if 
not  quite  equal  to  the  Vale  of  Av  ..  a  \  et  presents  much  to  charm  the  eye.  Wexford 
itself  is  a  quaint,  busy  little  seaport,  inseparably  associated  with  Oliver  Cromwell,  by 
reason  of  the  terrible  assault  and  capture  in  1649,  and  interesting  to  the  stranger  now. 
It  has  also  unhappy  memories  connected  with  the  outbreak  of  1798.  The  massacre  on 
the  Bridge  of  Wexford,  and  the  Battle  of  Vinegar  Hill,  testify  both  to  the  passionate 
desire  on  the  part  of  the  insurgents  to  throw  off  the  English  yoke,  and  to  the  stern 
suppression  of  the  rising  by  the  Government  of  that  day.  Like  its  neighbor  Water- 
ford,  Wexford  owes  its  foundation  to  the  Danes,  and  commemorates  that  fact  in  its 
name. 

The  town  of  New  Ross  and  the  city  of  Waterford  are  both  well  worth  a  visit.  The 
sail  along  the  Barrow  from  the  one  to  the  other  is  very  enjoyable,  and  at  the  junction 
with  the  Suir  a  fine  view  of  Dunbrody  Abbey  is  obtained.  The  approach  to  Waterford 
from  the  sea  is  striking.  As  the  Milford  Haven  steamer  draws  near  the  entrance  to 
Waterford  Harbor,  Hook  Head,  with  its  prominent  lighthouse,  juts  boldly  out  into  the 
sea.  A  few  miles  to  the  northeast  another  promontory  can  be  seen,  known  as  Bag-an- 
bun  Head.  On  the  Hook  Head  side  of  this,  in  the  year  1169,  Robert  Fitzstephen  and 
his  companions  landed,  and  began  that  long  strife  between  English  and  Irish  which  has 
not  ceased  although  nearly  seven  hundred  years  have  passed  since,  to  use  the  rhyming 
legend  that  has  become  current — "  At  Bag-an-bun  Ireland  was  lost  and  won." 

Waterford  is  the  chief  port  of  Southeastern  Ireland,  and  a  great  center  of  the  cattle 
trade.  It  is  prettily  situated  on  the  Suir,  the  quays  stretching  for  over  a  mile  along  the 
south  bank  of  that  river.  But  it  must  be  admitted  that  its  claims  upon  the  traveler's 
attention  are  soon  exhausted,  however  engrossing  they  may  be  upon  the  man  of  busi- 
ness. The  only  structure  in  it  that  presents  a  somewhat  ancient  appearance  is  Reginald's 
Tower,  on  the  quay,  and  this  can  hardly  make  good  its  claim  to  an  existence  of  over 
eight  hundred  years. 


59 


DROGHEDA  FKOM   THE   RAILWAY  BRIDGE. 


CHAPTER    III. 


The  Valley  of  the  Boyne. 


THE  Garden  of  Ireland,  as  it  is  popularly  called,  lies  to  the  south  of  Dublin. 
But  this  descriptive  phrase  applies  with  almost  equal  force  to  the  region  lying 
immediately  to  the  north  of  the  metropolis.  Few  districts  in  the  kingdom  can  show 
so  much  lovely  scenery,  and  into  no  part  of  it  are  compressed  so  many  ancient  sites, 
ruined  castles,  fine  old  churches  and  abbeys,  and  famous  battle-fields.  The  stretch  of  coun- 
try drained  by  the  Boyne  and  the  Blackwater  has  been  renowned  in  Irish  story  from  the 
dawn  of  history  until  the  present  day.  Here  is  the  great  cemetery  of  the  ancient  pagan 
kings  who  flourished  before  the  earliest  Irish  scribe  began  to  pen  the  annals  of  his  coun- 
try ;  here  stands  the  Hill  of  Tara,  yet  evidencing,  by  its  clearly  traceable  signs,  the 
barbaric  splendor  of  King  Laoghaire's  Court ;  here  is  the  Hill  of  Slane,  upon  which  St. 
Patrick  kindled  that  Easter  light,  the  outward  symbol  of  the  spiritual  light  which  more  or 
less  brightly  has  never  ceased  to  shine  in  the  Sacred  Isle  ;  here  stood  the  ancient  king- 
dom of  Meath  ;  and  with  every  square  mile  of  the  country  is  connected  some  deed  of 
daring  or  of  cruelty,  some  fairy  legend  or  ancient  superstition  ;  hither  flocked  the  Danes 
in  the  ninth  and  tenth  centuries,  with  their  keen  scent  for  battle  and  plunder,  as  to  the 
richest  district  of  Ireland  ;  here  lived  and  sinned  that  princess  Dearvorgil,  famed  in  story, 
■upon  whom  has  been  placed  the  responsibility  of  having  occasioned  the  English  invasion 
60 


THE    VALLEY  OF  THE  BOY  XL. 


,^,l 


in  1169;  here  raged  relentless  warfare  between  the  dwellers  within  the  Pale  and  the 
fierce  Irish  chieftains  ;  and  here,  in  modern  times,  was  fought  and  won  the  great  pitched 
battle  between  Protestantism  and  the  last  of  the  Stewart  kings  on  the  soil  of  the  United 
Kingdom. 

In  glancing  at  this  celebrated  valley,  we  shall  pass  in  review  some  of  its  most  attract- 
ive sites,  and  recall  a  few  of  its  most  famous  associations.  Reversing  the  natural  order 
of  the  river,  we  will  ascend  from  the  estuary  towards  the  source.  A  great  river  like  the 
Boyne,  draining  a  rich  agricultural  country,  necessarily  possesses  a  port  of  the  first  rank. 
Drogheda  (pronounced  Draw-edd-a)  is  to-day  one  of  the  busiest  towns  in  Ireland,  and 
for  many  past  centuries  the  pulses  of  a  strong  and  active  life  have  throbbed  here.  It  is 
well  situated  on  the  steep  banks  of  the  Boyne,  having  many  features  in  common  with 
an  ordinary  continental  town,  and,  when  seen  from  a  distance,  it  arouses  the  expectations 
of  the  traveler ;  but  a  closer  inspection  tends  to  modify  first  impressions,  and  adds 
another  to  the  manifold  evidences  of  the  truth  of  that  trite  saying,  "  distance  lends  en- 
chantment to  the  view."  It  is  32  miles  from  Dublin 
and  81  from  Belfast. 

From  the  earliest  times  Drogheda  has  figured  more 
or  less  prominently  in  the  history  of  Ireland.  It  was 
formerly  a  walled  and  strongly-fortified  city,  and  al- 
though, unlike  Derry,  is  has  lost  most  of  the  ancient 
walls,  some  fine  specimens  yet  remain.  Chief  among 
these  is  the  St.  Lawrence  Gate,  as  perfect  a  specimen 
of  that  class  of  architecture  as  we  could  wish  to  see.  As 
the  wayfarer  passes  beneath  the  archway,  and  looks  at 
the  lofty  towers,  pierced  by  narrow  windows  and  loop- 
holes, imagination  begins  to  picture  the  angry  conflicts 
upon  which  it  has  looked  down,  and  the  successive 
generations  that  have  passed  in  and  out  by  its  well- 
trodden  entrance. 

Drogheda  stands  by  the  site  of  an  ancient  ford. 
In  process  of  time,  as  at  Dublin  and  elsewhere,  the 
fords  were  rendered  needless  by  the  construction  of 
bridges.  To  the  bridge  built  over  the  Boyne  at  this 
spot  the  town  owes  its  name,  Droickcad-atha,  the 
Bridge  of  the  Ford,  from  which  the  present  name 
Drogheda  is  easily  derived.  The  name  indicates  also  that  this  was  the  first  bridge 
built  over  the  Boyne  on  the  northern  coast  road.  The  quays  along  the  river,  crowded 
as  they  are  by  steamers  and  vessels  of  many  kinds,  give  proof  that  the  town  is  not 
only  an  important  place  on  the  northern  road,  but  that  by  the  waterways  of  the  ocean 
she  is  in  communication  with  distant  parts  of  the  earth. 

It  is  believed  by  some  that  Milesius  and  his  followers  landed  near  the  town,  that  in 
the  struggle  with  the  natives,  his  son  Coalpha  perished,  the  fact  being  commemorated 
in  the  name,  Coelph,  given  to  one  of  the  parishes.  It  is  more  certain  that  Patrick 
passed  by  the  ford  on  his  way  to  Slane  ;  that  early  in  the  tenth  century  it  became  a 
stronghold  from  which  the  Danes  ravaged  the  surrounding  country  ;  that  in  1395  Rich- 
ard II.  held  an  assembly  in   the   church  of  Mary  Magdalene,  and  that  there  four  Irish 

61 


THE  ST.  LAWRENCE  GATE,  DROGHEDA. 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 


chieftains  did  homage  and  fealty  to  the  English  monarch.  "  Every  one  of  them,  before 
the  words  of  submission,  laid  aside  his  cap,  belt  and  skeyne,  and  kneeling  down  before 
the  king,  put  both  his  hands  joined  between  the  king's  hands,  and  repeated  the  words 
■of  fealty  and  submission  in  the  Latin  language."  In  Henry  VI I. 's  reign  a  parliament 
was  held  at  Drogheda,  in  1494,  under  the  Lord  Deputy,  Edward  Poynings,  which 
passed  the  notorious  "  Poynings  Act,"  by  which  it  was  decreed  that  the  Irish  Par- 
liament should  only  deal  with  such  matters  as  had  already  been  approved  by  the 
Privy  Council. 

But  the  ever-memorable  incident  in  Drogheda's  history  happened  in  1649,  when 
she  attempted  to  withstand  the  greatest  Englishman  of  the  seventeenth  century,  who 
came  to  Ireland  at  the  head  of  his 
veteran  army,  to  bring  the  country 
back  to  the  control  of  the  British 
Parliament  after  its  revolt  and 
fearful  massacres  of  the  Protest- 
ants in  1 64 1.  Wide  is  the  diver- 
gence of  view  as  to  what  took 
place ;  not  with  regard  to  the 
facts — they  are  as  clear  as  the 
sunlight — but  as  to  the  moral 
judgment  to  be  passed  upon 
them.  In  September,  1649, 
Oliver  Cromwell  summoned  the 
garrison  to  surrender,  "  To  the 
which  receiving  no  satisfactory 
answer,"  his  army  stormed  the 
town  and  put  almost  the  whole 
garrison  to  the  sword.  Cromwell 
did  not  hesitate  to  give  his  view 
and  justification  of  the  deed.  "  I  am  persuaded  that  this  is  a  righteous  judgment  of 
God  upon  these  barbarous  wretches,  who  have  imbued  their  hands  with  so  much  inno- 
cent blood  ;  and  that  it  will  tend  to  prevent  the  effusion  of  blood  in  the  future.  Which 
are  the  satisfactory  grounds  to  such  actions,  which  otherwise  cannot  but  work  remorse 
and  regret."  "  Such,"  writes  Carlyle,  "  was  the  storm  of  Drogheda.  A  thing  which, 
if  one  wanted  good  assurance  as  to  the  essential  meaning  of  it,  misfht  well  '  work  re- 
morse  and  regret '  :  for  indisputably  the  outer  body  of  it  is  emphatic  enough  !  Crom- 
well, not  in  a  light  or  loose  manner,  but  in  a  very  solemn  and  deep  one,  takes  charge 
for  himself  at  his  own  peril,  that  it  is  a  judgment  of  God  ;  and  that  it  did  save  much 
effusion  of  blood  we  and  all  spectators  can  very  readily  testify  ....  In  fact,  it  cut 
through  the  heart  of  the  Irish  War.  Wexford  storm  followed,  not  by  forethought,  it 
would  seem,  but  by  chance  of  war,  in  the  same  stern  fashion  ;  and  there  was  no  other 
storm  or  slaughter  needed  in  that  country." 

The  monuments  of  the  past  still   existing  in  Drogheda  are   hardly  so  numerous  as 

might  be  expected.     There  are  the  two  ancient  gate-towers,  some  traces  of  the  old 

walls,  the  ruined  church  of  St.  Mary,  and  the  fine  tower  of  St.  Mary  Magdalene,  the 

latter  dating  from  the  fourteenth  century.     Hence,   most  visitors  prefer  not  to  linger 

62 


THE   BRIDGE,    DKOGHEDA. 


THE    VALLEV  OF  THE  BUTXE 


long  in  the  town,  and  are  eager  to  get  out  into  the  beautiful  country,  studded  with 
sites  and  objects  of  interest,  by  which  it  is  surrounded.  Few  excursions  in  Ireland  can 
rival  a  day's  wandering  in  the  Boyne  Valley,  provided  only  that  the  sun  be  shinino" 
and  the  atmosphere  clear  enough  to  disclose  the  distant  views. 

Leaving  the  town  in  a  jaunting  car,  and  traveling  by  a  road  skirting  the  southern 
bank  of  the  Boyne,  whence  fine  views  are  obtained,  Oldbridge  is  reached  after  a  short 
drive.  This  name  is  now  somewhat  of  a  misnomer,  as  a  comparatively  new  bridge 
spans  the  stream.  But  the  interest  of  the  scene,  apart  frrm  its  rural  beauty,  which  is 
very  great,  centers  in  the  event  commemorated  by  the  obelisk  standing  hard  by  the 
northern  end  of  the  bridge.  Upon  a  huge  irregular  block 
of  granite  rises  a  massive  column,  erected  in  1736,  bear- 
ing this  inscription  :  "  Sacred  to  the  glorious  memory  of 
King  William  the  Third,  who,  on  the  1st  of  Jul}-,  1690, 
passed  the  river  near  this  place  to  attack  James  the  Sec- 
ond at  the  head  of  a  Popish  army,  advantageously  posted  on 
the  south  side  of  it,  and  did,  on  that  day,  by  a  single  battle, 
secure  to  us  and  to  our  posterity,  our  liberty,  laws,  and  re- 
ligion. In  consequence  of  this  action,  James  the  Second 
left  this  king- 
dom and  fled 
to  France." 

On  this 
eventful  day 
William's 
army  was  post- 
ed along  the 
north  bank, 
and  James's 
clustered 
around  Don- 
ore  Hill,  on 
the  south  side 
of  the  river. 
Part  of  the 
English   army 

crossed  early  in  the  morning  by  a  ford  a  few  miles  up  the  river,  thus  outflanking 
the  left  wing  of  the  Irish  army  and  throwing  it  into  some  confusion.  At  this  moment 
the  remainder  of  William's  army  crossed  at  Oldbridge,  a  severe  struggle  taking  place, 
in  which  the  Duke  of  Schomberg,  Walker  of  Deny,  and  others  were  slain.  James,  it 
must  be  admitted,  did  nothing  to  encourage  his  army,  and  very  early  in  the  day  fled  to 
Dublin.  Many  of  his  troops  fought  bravely,  but  they  were  out-generaled,  and  were 
unable  to  stand  before  the  trained  valor  of  William's  troops.  The  Irish  army  was 
routed  and  pursued  some  six  miles  beyond  Duleek. 

The  site  of  this  battle  is  interesting  on  many  accounts,  and  the  results  of  the  victory 
were  of  the  highest  importance.  But  the  associations  of  angry  political  passion,  blood- 
shed and  strife,  seem  strangely  unsuitable  to  the  peaceful  scenes  and  lovely  landscapes 

63 


THE   BOYNE   OBELISK. 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

of  the  district ;  and  so  we  gladly  pursue  our  journey  to  places  which  speak  to  us  of 
better  things  than  war  and  bloodshed.  From  the  northern  end  of  the  bridge  a  little 
dell  runs  up  through  the  hill.  It  is  well  wooded  and  a  carriage  road  passes  through  it. 
It  is  known  now  as  King  William's  Glen,  because  part  of  his  army  was  posted  here, 
and  because  he  reached  the  river  bank  by  this  road  on  the  day  of  his  eventful  crossing. 
The  road  leads  up  to  the  higher  ground,  and,  after  a  drive  of  from  two  to  three  miles, 
the  ruins  of  Mellifont  Abbey  come  into  view.  The  drive  is  enjoyable,  but  not  nearly 
so  fine  as  many  others  in  this  neighborhood.  The  car  turns  into  a  narrow  valley,  and, 
after  running  a  short  distance,  suddenly,  and  without  any  indication  of  the  nearness  of 
the  ruins,  brings  the  traveler  to  the  peaceful  shut-in  cul-dc-sac  occupied  by  Mellifont. 

The  first  and  most  conspicuous  object  is  a  lofty,  massive  tower,  through  whose 
arch,  only  a  few  years  ago,  a  mill-race  was  carried,  the  water  of  which  supplied  motive 
power  to  a  mill  which  greatly  disfigures  the  otherwise  picturesque  cluster  of  ruins. 
But  this,  like  so  many  mills  all  over  Ireland,  has  ceased  to  be  profitable,  is  now  closed, 
and  the  mill-race  is  dry.  The  tower  is  "  square  in  shape  and  stern  in  aspect,  and  bears 
an  elevated  turret  at  its  northeastern  angle.  This  frowning  portal,  which  still  remains 
nearly  entire,  and  was  evidently  the  chief  entrance  to  the  monastic  inclosure,  is  an 
historic  evidence,  fully  as  authentic  and  more  truth-telling  than  books,  of  the  state  of 
the  surrounding  country  at  the  time  of  its  erection  ;  and  while  the  peaceful  consecrated 
structures  in  the  inclosure  below  are  landmarks  of  learning  and  religion  within,  this 
bold  castle  tells  a  tale  of  lawlessness  and  rapine  which  raged  without.  From  this  point 
we  look  down  upon  a  confused  mass  of  ruins,  arches,  churches,  solid  blocks  of  ancient 
masonry,  some  standing,  others  prostrate,  several  ivy-clad  walls  and  grass-grown 
mounds,  a  few  dirty  thatched  cabins,  with  an  ugly  square-slated  mill  and  an  adjoining 
farmyard."  1 

This  monastery,  the  first  belonging  to  the  Cistercian  order  of  monks  in  Ireland,  was 
founded  in  1142  by  Malachy  O'Morgair,  Archbishop  of  Armagh,  and  Donough 
O'Carroll,  King  of  Oirgialla,  i.e.,  of  the  counties  of  Armagh,  Monaghan,  and  Lough. 
The  first  company  of  monks  were  sent  over  from  his  monastery  at  Clairvaulx  by  the 
famous  St.  Bernard,  and  by  them  the  first  foundation  was  built.  "  Then  was  the  under- 
wood cleared  away,  the  oak  and  the  birch  fell  beneath  the  woodman's  ax,  and  the 
wolf  and  the  wild  boar  were  scared  from  their  lurking-place,  as  the  valley  rang  with  the 
clang  of  hammers  and  the  sharp  chip  of  the  chisel.  The  bees,  for  which  the  place  was 
celebrated,  and  from  which  it  was  named,  no  longer  gathered  their  winter  store  from 
its  sweet  flowers  ;  and  where  the  crane  and  the  bittern  found  their  resting-place  arose 
the  stately  structures  of  the  abbey  and  surrounding  monastic  edifices,  by  far  the  most 
gorgeous  which  had  yet  been  seen  in  this  country.  There,  where  the  cooing  of  the 
wild-pigeon  or  the  shrill  whistle  of  the  lapwing  alone  were  heard  in  former  years,  the 
tolling  of  the  vesper  and  the  matin  bell  spread  in  measured  cadences  over  the  surround- 
ing woodlands,  and  the  perfume  of  incense  rose  up  from  the  depths  of  the  once  solitary 
and  uncultured  valley  of  the  Matlock."  2 

The  first  abbot  was  Christian  O'Conarchy,  appointed  in  1 145  ;  here,  in  1 1 57,  a  fam- 
ous synod  was  held,  attended  by  seventeen  bishops  and  Murtough  O'Loughlin,  King  of 
Ireland,  who  made  rich  presents  to  the  abbey  ;  here,  in  1 193,  died  the  ill-fated  Dear- 
vorgil.     It  was  bestowed  upon  Sir  Gerald  Moore  at  the  Dissolution  of  the  Monasteries, 

1    The  Boyne  and  the  Blackwater,  p.  279.  *  Ibid.  p.  2S5. 

64 


THE    VALLEY  OF  THE  B01WE. 


and  he  changed  it  into  a  magnificent  residence.       Subsequently  it  was  captured  by  the 
Irish  in  1641. 

The  chief  ruins  within  the  inclosure  are  St.  Bernard's  Chapel  and  the  Baptistery. 
The  former  when  complete  must  have:  been  a  beautiful  and  highly  ornate  example  of 
the  Norman  or  Early  English  pointed  style  The  structure  known  as  the  Baptistery  is 
unique,  there  being  no  other  like  it  in  Ireland.  Originally  it  was  an  octagonal  build- 
ing, standing  upon  a  series  of  splendidly  built  arches.  In  the  opinion  of  good  judges 
it  dates  from  the  early  part  of  the  twelfth  century.  Around  these  more  important 
structures  are  the  remains  of  pillars,  crypts,  arches,  and  all  the  evidences  of  the  exist- 
ence here  in  the  past  of  a  large  church  and  extensive  monastery.  Sir  W.  Wilde  has 
noted  one  important  and  significant  fact  connected  with  these  ruins.  "  One  cannot  fail 
to  be  struck  with  the  remarkable  fact  that  there  is  not  a  single  characteristic  emblem  or 
element  of  true  Irish  ecclesiastical  architecture  at  Mellifont ;  no  round-tower,  no 
crosses,  no  inscriptions  on  tombs,  no  doorways  with  straight  lintels  and  inclining  jambs, 
and  no  knotted  tracery,  indicative  of  early  Irish  art.  Everything  we  meet  here  is 
foreign."  l 

True  as  this  statement  is  with   regard  _-^-_ 

to  Mellifont,  it  certainly  does  not  apply 
to  Monasterboice,  only  about  three  miles 
distant.  No  place  in  Ireland  exhibits 
more  magnificent  specimens  of  distinctive 
Irish  architecture.  The  car  passes  from 
Mellifont  along  the  upland  by  a  hilly  road, 
and  at  length  brings  us  to  an  inclosure 
situated  on  the  slope  of  a  gently  rising 
ground,  from  which  towers  aloft  a  bold 
but  partly  ruined  round-tower.  The 
inclosure  is  a  cemetery,  and  occupies  the 
site  of  a  religious  house,  founded  here  by 
St.  Buithe  or  Boetius.  The  annals  o-ive 
a.  d.  52i  as  the  year  of  his  death.     The 

records  of  the  foundation  are  tolerably  complete,  consisting  mainly  of  the  names  and 
year  of  death  of  the  abbots,  and  records  of  the  plundering  it  endured.  It  was  famous 
for  learning  and  hospitality,  and  until  Mellifont  was  founded  ranked  as  the  chief  abbey 
of  northeastern  Ireland. 

The  inclosure  contains  two  ruined  churches,  the  tower,  three  stone  crosses,  and 
some  early  tombstones.  One  of  the  churches,  that  nearest  the  tower,  is  the  more 
ancient,  dating  in  all  probability  from  the  ninth  century  ;  the  other  is  a  much  later 
structure.  The  tower  is  a  very  fine  example,  being  5o  feet  in  circumference  at  the 
bottom  and  about  90  feet  high.  It  has  been  shattered  at  the  top  by  lightning,  and  is 
somewhat  out  of  the  perpendicular.  All  who  can  spare  the  time  should  visit  Monaster- 
boice— those  who  are  interested  in  Irish  art,  because  there  they  can  study  in  situ  the 
most  superb  ancient  crosses  which  Ireland  can  show  ;  and  those  who  feel  no  such  in- 
terest, in  order  that,  if  possible,  it  may  be  developed,  and  thereby  a  new  intellectual 
pleasure  be  enjoyed.      The  crosses  are  three  in  number.     They  are  elaborately  carved, 

1  The  Boyne  and  the  Blackwater,  p.  292. 

«5 


BUINS  OF  THE  BAPTISTERY,  MELLIFONT. 


IRELA  ND  ILL  USTRA  TED. 


and  although  the  rains  and  sunshine,  the  haps  and  hazards,  of  nine  hundred  years  have 
passed  since  they  were  erected,  many  of  the  carvings  upon  them  are  still  clear  and 
sharp,  and  they  enable  the  observer  to  form  a  clear  idea  of  the  devotion  and  skill  con- 
cerned in  their  construction.  Either  time  has  dealt  with  them  in  kindlier  fashion  or 
their  material  is  more  durable  ;  at  any  rate  they  are  in  better  preservation  than  their 

great  rivals  at  Clonmacnoise. 

These  crosses  are  monumental,  and  upon 
one  of  them  occurs  the  inscription,  "  A  prayer 
for  Muiredach,  by  whom  was  made  this  cross." 
Now  there  were  two  abbots  of  Monasterboice 
who  bore  this  name.  One  died  in  844,  the 
other  in  923  or  924.  The  latter  seems  to  have 
been  a  man  of  greater  influence  and  power  than 
the  former,  and  this  fact,  coupled  with  other  in- 
ferential evidence,  has  led  archaeologists  to 
assign  the  cross  to  him.  Hence  it  is  at  least  over 
95o  years  old.  It  has  been  found  impossible  to 
decipher  satisfactorily  the  meaning  of  all  the 
groups  of  sculpture.  The  marvel  is  that  they 
have  retained  so  well  all  these  centuries  their 
sharpness  of  outline.  Miss  Stokes1  states: 
"  These  six  subjects — that  is,  the  Crucifixion 
with  its  type,  the  Sacrifice  of  Isaac  ;  the  empty 
tomb  guarded  by  sleeping  soldiers,  with  the 
types  of  the  Descent  into  Hell,  Samson  with 
Lion  and  Bear,  David  with  Goliath,  Christ  in 
Glory — are  the  only  ones  that  have  been  ex- 
plained out  of  the  twenty-four  panels  of  this 
monument." 

Speaking  of  this  cross,  Mr.  W.  F.  Wake- 
man,  the  well-known  writer  on  Irish  archaeol- 
ogy, states:  2  "Its  height  is  exactly  fifteen  feet, 
and  its  breadth  at  the  arm  six.  The  figures 
of  warriors  and  ecclesiastics  and  other  sculptur- 
ings  upon  this  cross  retain  in  a  remarkable 
[§£>  degree  their  original  sharpness  of  execution. 
The  former  are  invaluable,  affording  as  they  do 
an  excellent  idea  of  the  dress  both  military  and 
the  cross  of  muiredach,  monasterboice.     ecclesiastical   in  use  among    the  Irish    during 

the  ninth  or  tenth  century.  Most  of  the  designs 
clearly  refer  to  Scripture  story.  There  are  figures  of  warriors  armed  with  swords, 
spears,  and  other  weapons,  among  which  the  ax  and  sling  are  conspicuous.  The  men, 
it  may  be  observed,  bear  small  circular  targets  like  those  in  use  to  a  late  period  among 
the  Highlanders  of  Scotland." 

The  cross  immediately  in  front  of  the  tower  is  more  slender  but  much  higher  than 

"  Early  Christian  Art  in  Ireland,  p.  135.  i  Guide  to  Ireland,  p.  148. 

66 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  BOl'XE. 


TVluiredach's.  It  is  about  23  feet  high,  and  consists  of  three  stones,  a  shaft  1 1  feet  long, 
the  central  stone  containing  the  cross  6  feet  3  inches  long,  and  the  cap  2  feet  3  inches 
in  height.  It  has  been  badly  chipped  where  the  shaft  is  inserted  into  the  base,  but 
many  of  the  sculptures  are  still  fairly  decipherable,  among  them  being  the  Fall  of  Man, 
the  Expulsion  from  Eden,  the  Worship  of  the  Magi,  and  the  Crucifixion.  When  and 
by  whom  it  w^s  erected  is  not  known. 

Of  the  third  cross  only  a  fragment  remains,  the  burden  of  its  destruction  being 
placed  upon  Cromwell's  broad  shoulders. 

The  graveyard  is  still  in  use,  and  within  the  more  ancient  church  is  a  circular  granite 
.-stone,  probably  the  shaft  of  an  ancient  font.  Whenever  a  funeral  takes  place,  the  body 
is  carried  around  the  inclosure  and  then  placed  for  a  few  minutes  upon  this  stone.  In 
the  Dublin  Penny  Journal  is  a  description  of  this  scene,  interesting  for  its  own  sake, 
and  also  because  it  came  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Petrie,  with  which  we  close  our  sketch 
of  Monasterboice: 

"  In  its  present  deserted  and 
ruined  state  it  is  a  scene  of  the 
deepest  and  most  solemn  interest ; 
and  the  mind  must  indeed  be  dull 
and  earthly  in  which  it  fails  to 
awaken  feelings  of  touching  and 
permanent  interest.  Silence  and 
rsolitude  the  most  profound  are  im- 
pressed on  all  its  time-worn  features. 
We  are  among  the  dead  only,  and 
we  are  forced,  as  it  were,  to  con- 
verse with  men  of  other  days.      In 

all  our  frequent  visits  to  these  ruins  we  never  saw  a  living  human  being  among 
them  but  once.  It  was  during  a  terrific  thunderstorm,  which  obliged  us  to  seek 
shelter  behind  one  of  the  stone  crosses  for  an  hour.  The  rain  poured  down  in 
impetuous  torrents,  and  the  clouds  were  so  black  as  to  give  day  the  appearance 
of  night.  It  was  at  such  an  awful  hour  that  a  woman  of  middle  age,  finely 
formed,  and  of  noble  countenance,  entered  the  cemetery,  and,  regardless  of  the  storm 
raging  around,  flung  herself  down  upon  a  grave,  and  commenced  singing  an  Irish 
lamentation  in  tones  of  heart-rending  melancholy  and  surpassing  beauty.  This 
she  carried  on  as  long  as  we  remained  ;  and  her  voice,  coming  on  the  ear  between 
the  thunder  peals,  had  an  effect  singularly  wild  and  unearthly ;  it  would  be  fruit- 
less to  attempt  a  description  of  it.  The  reader,  if  he  knows  what  an  Irishwoman's 
song  of  sorrow  is,  must  imagine  the  effect  it  would  have  at  such  a  moment  among 
those  lightning-shattered  ruins,  and  chanted  by  such  a  living  vocal  monument  of  human 
woe  and  desolation.  We  subsequently  learned,  on  inquiry,  that  this  poor  creature's 
history  was  a  sad  one ;  she  was  slightly  crazed,  in  consequence  of  the  death  of  her 
only  son,  who  had  been  drowned  ;  and  her  mania  lay  in  a  persuasion,  which  nothing 
could  remove,  that  he  was  not  lost,  but  would  yet  return  to  bless  her,  and  close  her 
long-weeping  eyes  in  peace." 

At  Oldbridge  we  are  in  the  midst  of  modern  events  and  associations,  at  Mellifont 
^mediaeval,  and  at  Monasterboice  in  early  historic.     But  the   Boyne  Valley  has  links 

67 


NEW   GRANGE. 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 


with  a  far  remoter  past  than  the  sixth  century,  the  men  of  a  much  earlier  generation 
have  left  us  considerable  traces  of  their  handiwork.  Between  01dbrids:e  and  Slane  a 
large  number  of  sepulchral  mounds  exist,  and  the  references  in  the  Irish  MSS.  enable 
scholars  to  decide  that  here  is  situated  the  great  royal  cemetery,  used  by  the  pagan 
kings  of  Ireland  away  back  toward  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era.  Three 
enormous  mounds,  lying  within  a  short  distance  of  each  other,  are  so  much  more 
prominent  than  their  numerous  smaller  companions  that  they  naturally  for  long  years 
past  have  enjoyed  the  largest  share  of  public  attention.  Visiting  them  as  they  lie  upon 
the  road  to  Slane,  they  come  in  the  following  order  :  Dowth,  New  Grange,  and 
Knowth.  To  a  superficial  observer  they  appear  natural  hillocks  ;  but  a  cursory  study 
suffices  to  convince  one  that  they  are  the  work  of  man.  Indeed,  it  is,  perhaps,  not 
too  much  to  say  that  they  are,  for  their  class,  among  the  most  wonderful  works  of 
man  in  the  United  Kingdom. 

In  the  year  266  a.  d.  a  famous  Irish  king  named  Cormac  Mac  Art  died,  "  the  bone 
of  a  salmon  sticking  in  his  throat."  This  event  took  place  at  the  House  of  Cletty, 
supposed  by  some  to  be  Clady  on   the   Boyne.     In  a   very  ancient  Irish  treatise,  the 

History  of  the  Cemeteries,  the  following 
passage  occurs  :  "  And  he  (Cormac)  told 
his  people  not  to  bury  him  at  Brugh,. 
because  it  was  a  cemetery  of  idolaters  \, 
for  he  did  not  worship  the  same  God  as 
any  of  those  interred  at  Brugh  ;  but  to 
bury  him  at  Ros-na-Righ,  with  his  face 
to  the  east.  He  afterward  died,  and  his 
servants  of  trust  held  a  council,  and  came 
to  the  resolution  of  burying  him  at  Brugh, 
the  place  where  the  Kings  of  Tara,  his. 
predecessors,  were  buried.  The  body 
of  the  king  was  thrice  raised  to  be 
carried  to  Brugh,  but  the  Boyne  swelled  up  thrice,  so  as  that  they  could  not 
come ;  so  that  they  observed  that  it  was  violating  the  judgment  of  a  prince  to 
break  through  this  testament  of  a  king ;  and  they  afterward  dug  his  grave  at  Ros- 
na-Righ,  as  he  himself  had  ordered."  On  the  banks  of  the  river  two  miles  below 
Slane  is  a  place  called,  to  this  day,  Rosnaree,  evidently  the  ford  referred  to  in  the  old 
MS.,  and  the  great  mounds  on  the  other  bank  are  doubtless  the  cemetery  Brugh,  in 
which  Cormac,  having  become  a  Christian,  did  not  wish  to  sleep  with  his  pagan 
ancestors. 

Dowth  was  opened  and  examined  in  1847,  and  it  was  soon  made  manifest  that  it 
was  a  great  tomb  ;  but  nothing  was  unearthed  or  discovered  superior  to  what  had  been 
accessible  for  many  years  in  the  mound  of  New  Grange,  a  mile  or  two  nearer  Slane. 
This  consists  of  an  enormous  cairn  of  stones  upward  of  70  feet  high,  covering  from 
one  to  two  acres,  and  weighing,  it  has  been  computed,  180,000  tons.  Once  it  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  circle  of  huge  stones,  but  only  ten  of  these  remain.  At  intervals 
excavations  for  roadmaking  or  building  purposes  have  been  made  in  its  sides,  reducing 
its  bulk.  It  is  not  known  when  or  by  whom  the  entrance  was  first  discovered  and 
explored,  but  as  early   as  1699  a  description    of  it  was  written,  which  agrees   in  all 

68 


-4$ 


rj*mtK~- 


^mc 


STANDING  STONES  AT  NEW  GRANGE. 


THE    VALLEY  UF  THE  BOl'XE. 


-essential  particulars  with  what  any  visitor  can  now  see.  The  entrance  is  by  a  low 
passage,  which  starts  from  an  enormous  stone,  10  feet  long,  iS  inches  thick,  and  finely 
carved  with  a  bold  spiral  pattern.  The  passage  runs  nearly  north  and  south,  and  is  63 
feet  long.  It  is  constructed  of  upright  stones,  twenty-one  on  the  right  and  twenty-two 
on  the  left  side,  covered  in  by  great  flag-stones,  one  of  these  measuring  no  less  than 
seventeen  feet  by  six.  One  can  creep  along  the  greater  part  of  this  passage  with  ease, 
but  about  20  feet  from  the  inner  chamber  the  side  stones  have  either  fallen  or  been 
pressed  in  so  as  to  nearly  touch  at  the  top.  Here  the  explorer  has  nothing  for  it  but 
to  go  down  on  hands  and  knees  and  crawl.  The  guide  with  the  light  who  goes  before 
proves  that  it  can  be  done,  and  few  are  likely  to  experience  any  difficulty.  None 
should  allow  this  small  drawback  to  prevent  them  from  seeing  a  marvelous  piece  of 
work,  viz.,  the  great  sepulchral  chamber,  occupying  the  whole  center  of  the  mound. 

After  squeezing  through  the  narrow  but  colossal  portal  the  way  becomes  easier,  and 
■vve  pass  into  a  lofty  domed  chamber.  The  dim  light — when  we  saw  it  a  fairly  strong 
paraffin  lamp  was  used — the  strange 
entrance,  the  outlines,  at  first  so  shad- 
owy and  awe  inspiring,  all  combine 
to  make  such  a  visit  memorable.  As 
the  eye  gets  used  to  the  chamber  it 
is  seen  to  consist  of  a  central  apart- 
ment with  three  recesses,  one  oppo- 
site the  entrance,  one  to  the  east,  and 
one  to  the  west. 

One  of  these  is  depicted  in  our 
engraving.  It  is  9  feet  high,  8  deep, 
and  7  wide.  The  central  chamber  is 
formed  by  eleven  stones,  with  flat  sur- 
faces facing  inward.  From  these  as  a 
base  course,  rises  the  dome,  formed 
of  large  stones  placed  horizontally, 
each  layer  projecting  a  little  beyond 
that  directly  beneath  it,  thus  forming 

a  structure  of  the  beehive  type,  closed  and  clamped  at  the  top  by  an  enormous 
slab  of  rock.     This  chamber  has  a  diametei  of  18  feet  and  a  height  of  19  feet  6  inches. 

Such  is  the  sepulchral  mound  of  New  Grange.  It  is  impossible  to  stand  in  that 
-weird  chamber  without  having  the  brain  and  imagination  excited.  When  were  these 
massive  stones  piled  up  with  such  rude  and  yet,  for  their  purpose,  effective  skill?  How 
did  these  men  of  a  pre-Christian  age  acquire  mechanical  power  sufficient  to  lift  such 
masses  as  the  roofing  slab  of  the  entrance  or  the  keystone  of  the  dome  ?  What  man- 
ner of  men  were  they  who  could  create  such  lordly  dwellings  for  their  dead  ?  What 
ideas  of  life  and  death  and  the  future  did  these  mighty  builders  have?  One  would 
like  to  get  the  clue  to  these  and  to  many  such  questions.  But  at  present  the  answers 
are  vague  and  uncertain.  Not  yet,  with  all  our  increased  research  and  knowledge, 
have  we  explained  the  mystery.  New  Grange  drives  home  upon  the  thoughtful 
observer  the  lesson  conveyed  by  the  old  saying,  "There  were  kings  before  Agamem- 
non."    There  were  men  in  Ireland  before   historians   arose  to  chronicle  their  deeds ; 


ENTRANCE   TO   NEW   GRANGE 


IRELAND  ILL  USTRA  TED. 


there  were  conceptions  of  man's  work  and  power  and  pride  that  produced  these  august 
tombs.  May  we  not  say  that  there  is  evidence  here  that  the  prehistoric  man  had  a 
brain  to  conceive,  an  arm  to  execute,  and  a  heart  to  feel, for  the  time  in  which  he  lived, 
quite  equal  to  those  of  his  remote  nineteenth-century  brother,  who  is  apt  sometimes  to 
talk  and  to  reason  as  if  knowledge  began  with  him,  and  as  if  the  men  of  the  early  ages, 
were  nothing  but  children  ? 

A  pleasant  drive  of  a  couple  of  miles  takes  us  past  Knowth,  the  third  of  these 
great  mounds,  as  yet,  so  far  as  is  known,  unexplored.  A  steep  descent  brings  us  to 
the  little  town  of  Slane.  And  here  indeed  we  are  on  classic  ground.  A  somewhat  long 
ascent,  but  one  easily  made  by  car,  brings  us  to  the  Hill  of  Slane. 

Upon  this  hill,  on  Easter  Eve,  St.  Patrick  kindled  his  paschal  fire,  according  to  the 
habit  of  that  day.  This  was  contrary  to  the  custom,  that  at  the  annual  festival  held  at 
that  time  of  the  year  at  Tara  no  fire  should  be  lit  in  the  neighborhood  until  the  great, 
fire  had  been  kindled  at  the  palace  of  Tara.     Thus  began  the  series  of  events  that  led 

to  St.  Patrick's  intercourse  with  King 
Laoghaire.  And,  however  it  may  be 
with  this  story,  and  certain  as  it  is  that 
later  miracle-makers  have  woven  about 
the  history  of  Patrick  a  web  of  absurd' 
wonder-workings,  it  nevertheless  re- 
mains a  fact  that  this  district  is  insepar- 
ably connected  with  the  life  and  work  of 
the  great  teacher,  and  that  this  connec- 
tion rests  upon  a  sure  basis  of  fact.  The 
faith  and  zeal  of  after  ages  crowned 
the  hill  with  a  monastery  and  a  cathe- 
dral. The  tower  still  stands,  albeit  in  a 
ruinous  condition  ;  and  it  can  be  ascend- 
ed by  the  adventurous.  From  its  sum- 
mit a  superb  view — unsurpassable  in  its. 
kind  in  Europe — is  obtained.  Seen 
under  such  circumstances  as  those  which 
favored  the  writer,  viz.,  brilliant  May  sunshine  and  a  clear  atmosphere  and  an  early 
summer  stillness,  the  truth  of  the  following  description  is  evident : 

"  The  ground  whereon  we  stand  is  sacred,  consecrated  by  the  footprints  of  our 
patron  saint,  hallowed  by  the  dust  of  kings.  Look  abroad  over  the  wide  undulating 
plains  of  Meath  or  to  the  green  hills  of  Louth:  where  in  the  broad  landscapes  of 
Britain  find  we  a  scene  more  fruitful  and  varied,  or  one  more  full  of  interesting  heart- 
stirring  associations  ?  Climb  this  tower  and  cast  your  eye  along  the  river.  Look  from 
the  tall,  pillar-like  form  of  the  yellow  steeple  at  Trim,  which  rises  in  the  distance,  to 
where  yon  bright  line  marks  the  meeting  of  the  sea  and  sky  below  the  Maiden  Tower 
at  Drogheda,  and  trace  the  clear  blue  waters  of  the  Boyne  winding  through  this  lovely,, 
highly  cultivated  landscape,  so  rich  in  all  that  can  charm  the  eye  and  awaken  the  im- 
agination ;  take  into  view  the  hills  of  Skreen  and  Tara  ;  pass  in  review  the  woods  of 
Hayes,  Ardmulchan,  Beauparc  ;  look  down  into  the  green  mounds  and  broad  pastures 
of  Slane  ;  follow  the  Boyne  below  you,  as  it  dances  by  each  ford  and  rapid,  to  where 
70 


RECESS  IN  THE  SEPULCHRAL  CHAMBER,  NEW  GRANGE. 


THE    VALLEY  OF  THE  BQYNE. 

the  great  pyramids  of  western  Europe,  Knowth,  New  Grange,  and  Dowth,  rise  on  its 
left  bank  ;  see  you  not  the  groves  of  Townley  Hall  and  Old  Bridge,  marking  the  battle- 
field of  1690  with  the  ill-fated  hill  of  Donore,  where  the  scepter  passed  forever  from 
the  line  of  Stuart,  obtruding  its  long-remembered  tale  of  civil  strife  upon  us?  Duleek 
stands  in  the  distance.  Beyond  those  hills  that  border  Louth  lie  Monasterboice  and 
Mellifont,  the  last  resting-place  of  the  faithless  Bride  of  Brefne) . 

"  Those  steeples  and  turrets  which  rise  in  the  lower  distance  were  shattered  by  the 
balls  of  Cromwell  ;  and  that  knoll  which  juts  above  them  is  the  Mill  Mount  of  Drog- 
heda.  What  a  picture  have  we  here  from  this  Richmond  Hill  of  Irish  scenery!  What 
an  extensive  page  of  our  country's  history  does  it  unfold  to  us!  What  recollections 
gush  upon  us  as  we  stand  on  the  abbey  walls  of  Slane  and  take  in  this  noble  prospect 
at  a  glance  !  The  records  and  footprints  of  two  thousand  years  are  all  before  us  ;  the 
solemn  procession  of  the  simple  shepherd  to  the  early  pagan  mound,  the  rude  slinger 
standing  on  the  earthen  circle,  the  Druid  fires  paling  before  the  bright  sun  of  Christian- 
ity, the  cadence  of  the  round-tower's  bell,  the  matin  and  the  vesper  hymn  swelling  from 
the  hermit's  cell  or  early  missionary  church  ;  the  proud  galleys  and  glancing  swords  of 
fierce  Northern  hordes  ;  the  smoking  ruins  of  church  and  tower,  the  shout  of  rival 
clans  in  civil  feuds;  the  lances  and  banners  of  Norman  soldiers;  the  moat  and  fosse 
and  drawbridge  of  the  keep  still  echoing  back  the  strife  of  hostile  ranks,  the  native  for 
his  soil,  the  stranger  for  his  hire  ;  the  ford  defended  and  the  castle  won  ;  the  pilgrim's 
cross,  the  stately  abbey,  and  the  baron's  hall  ;  in  church,  the  stole  ejected  for  the 
surplice,  the  town  besieged,  the  city  sacked ;  and  then  the  rattle,  and  the  roar,  and 
smoke  of  recent  battle, — have  one  and  all  their  epochs,  ruins,  sites,  or  history, 
legibly  inscribed  upon  this  picture."  * 

Where  better  than  in  connection  with  these  scenes  once  visited  by  Patrick  can  we 
say  what  is  needful  concerning  his  life  and  influence?  All  who  are  in  even  a  small 
measure  acquainted  with  the  facts  know  that  controversy  has  raged  in  the  past  over 
almost  every  statement  connected  with  Patrick's  life.  In  fact,  some  have  gone 
so  far  as  to  deny  his  existence  altogether.  The  ablest  and  most  comprehensive 
work  on  the  subject  which  has  appeared  in  recent  years  is  the  edition  of  the  Tripartite 
Life  of  St.  Patrick,  taken  from  the  Book  of  Armagh,  and  edited  by  Dr.  Whitley 
Stokes. 

"  All  the  facts  that  can  be  stated  with  certainty  about  St.  Patrick  are  these  :  He 
was  born  in  the  latter  half  of  the  fourth  century,  and  was  reared  a  Christian.  He  had 
relations  parentes  in  the  Britains,  and  he  calls  these  Britains  his  patria.  His  father 
Calpornus,  or  rather  Calpornius,  son  of  Potitus,  was  both  a  deacon  and  a  decurio,  and 
therefore  belonged  to  a  Roman  colony.  Potitus  was  son  of  a  deacon  named  Odissus. 
Patrick's  father  lived  at  a  place  called  Bannavem  Taberniae,  near  which  he  had  a  small 
farm,  and  there,  in  his  sixteenth  year,  Patrick  was  taken  captive.  His  captors  took  him 
to  Ireland,  with  several  others.  There  he  was  employed  in  herding  sheep  or  swine, 
and  devoted  himself  greatly  to  prayer.  When  he  had  remained  six  years  with  his  mas- 
ter he  ran  away  and  embarked  at  some  place  about  two  hundred  miles  distant.  After 
a  three-days  voyage  he  landed,  and  for  twenty-eight  days  journeyed  through  a  desert 
to  his  home. 

"  Again,  after  a  few  years,  but  while  he  was  still  a  young  man  puer,  he  was  in  the 

1  The  Boyne  and  the  Blackwater,  p.   179. 

71 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

Britains  with  his  parents,  when   he  dreamed   that   he  was  summoned  to  Ireland,  and 
awoke  much  pricked  in  heart. 

"  He  gave  up  home  and  parents  and  ingcnuitas,  that  is,  the  status  of  a  free  man 
born  free,  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  Irish  tribes.  His  motives,  he  says,  were  the 
Gospel  and  its  promises,  and  Secundinus  adds  that  he  received  his  apostleship  from 
God,  and  was  sent  by  God  as  an  apostle,  even  as  Paul.  He  traveled  through  the  Gauls 
and  Italy,  and  spent  some  time  in  the  islands  in  the  Tyrrhene  Sea.  One  of  these  ap- 
pears to  have  been  Lerina,  or  St.  Honorat.  He  had  been  ordained  a  deacon,  probably 
a  priest,  and  at  some  time  in  his  career  a  bishop. 

"  Long  after  the  dream  above  mentioned,  and  when  he  was  almost  worn  out,  he 
returned  to  Ireland  (whether  for  the  first  or  second  time  will  be  afterward  considered), 
and  traveling  through  the  remotest  parts  of  the  country  he  made  known  the  faith  to 
the  Irish  tribes,  of  whom  he  baptized  many  thousand  men.  The  Lord's  flock,  he  says, 
was  increasing  rapidly,  and  he  could  not  count  the  sons  of  the  Scots  and  the  knights' 
daughters  who  were  becoming  monks  and  virgins  of  Christ.  He  also  ordained  clergy, 
and  taught  at  least  one  priest  from  his  infancy.  His  success  excited  the  jealousy  of  the 
rhetoricians  of  the  Gauls,  in  which  country  he  had  brethren."  1 

"  He  was  well  versed  in  the  Latin  Scriptures,  both  canonical  and  apocryphal,  and, 
though  he  speaks  contemptuously  of  his  own  learning,  his  Latin  is  not  much  more  rustic 
than  that  of  Gregory  of  Tours.  He  appears  to  have  known  little  or  no  Greek.  Irish,  of 
course,  he  learned  during  his  six  years  of  bondage.  He  was  modest,  shrewd,  gener- 
ous, enthusiastic,  with  the  Celtic  tendency  to  exaggerate  failure  and  success.  Like  St. 
Paul,  he  wasdesirous  of  martyrdom.  He  was  physically  brave,  and  had  strong  passions, 
which  he  learned  to  control.  This  is  all  that  can  be  stated  with  certainty  about  Patrick, 
his  life,  writings,  creed,  learning,  and  character.  When  and  where  he  was  born,  his 
mother's  name,  his  baptismal  name,  where  he  was  captured,  when  and  by  whom  he 
was  educated,  when  and  by  whom  he  was  ordained,  when  he  returned  to  Ireland; 
whether  he  afterward  left  that  country,  whether  he  traveled  as  a  missionary,  the 
date  of  his  death,  the  place  of  his  burial, — on  each  of  these  points  we  have  only  the 
statements,  sometimes  discrepant  and  sometimes  obviously  false,  contained  in  the  later 
lives  of  St.  Patrick  and  other  late  documents."2 

"  Of  these  statements  the  following  are  the  least  improbable:  Patrick  was  born  about 
the  year  373,  at  Nemptor,  an  old  Celtic  Nemetodnron,  which  may  have  been  the  older 
name  for  Ail  Cluade  (Rock  of  Clyde),  now  Dumbarton.  The  place  where  Patrick  was 
captured  about  a.  d.  390,  Bannavem  Taberniae,  has  not  been  identified,  but  was  proba- 
bly somewhere  on  the  western  seacoast  of  North  Britain.  His  captor  took  him 
to  the  northeast  of  Ireland,  and  sold  him  to  a  chief  named  Miliuc,  who  named 
him  Cothraige,  and  employed  him  in  herding  swine  in  the  valley  of  the 
Braid  near  Slemmish.  After  six  years  —  when  he  was  therefore  in  his 
twenty-third  year  —  he  escaped  and  returned  to  his  family  in  Britain.  As 
to  what  he  did  during  the  next  thirty-seven  years,  i.  e.,  from  a.d.  396 
to  432,  it  is  impossible  to  offer  anything  but  conjectures  more  or  less  plausible.  The 
current  tradition  is  that  after  a  second  captivity,  which  lasted  only  two  months,  he  be- 
took himself  to  the  best  schools  of  the  west  of  Europe,  and  first  came  to  Ireland  to 
preach  the  Gospel  in  the  sixtieth  year  of  his  age.     But  against  this  four  objections  may 

•  The  Tripartite  Life  of  St.  Patrick,  vol.  i,  pp.  cxxxiii.  cxxxiv.  2  Ibid.  pp.   cxxxv.  cxxxvi. 

72 


THE    VALLEY  OF  THE  BOYNE. 

be  urged.  First,  if  Patrick  had  been  absent  from  Ireland  in  Gaulish  schools  from  the 
age  of  twenty-three  to  the  age  of  sixty,  he  would  certainly  have  forgotten  Irish,  which 
language  he  seems  to  have  known  well  on  returning  to  that  country.  Secondly,  he 
would  have  learned  to  write  better  Latin  than  that  of  his  Confession  and  the  Letter  to 
Coroticus,  and  he  would  not  have  complained  by  implication  that  he  had  not  been  in 
sermonibus  instructus  et  eruditus.  Thirdly,  it  is  improbable  that  an  ardent  nature  like 
his,  spurred  by  visions  and  eager  to  annex  a  new  territory  to  the  kingdom  of  Christ, 
would  have  postponed  his  attempt  for  thirty-seven  years.  And,  fourthly,  this  alleged 
long  absence  from  Ireland  is  plainly  inconsistent  with  Patrick's  own  words,  '  Ye  know 
and  God  knows  how  I  have  lived  among  you  from  my  youth  up,  both  faithful  in  truth 
and  sincere  in  heart.' 

"  It  therefore  seems  probable  that  Patrick,  after  his  escape  from  his  second  captiv- 
ity, studied  in  Gaul  until  he  was  fit  for  ordination  as  a  priest.  That  he  was  ordained 
by  a  Gaulish  bishop,  and  that  he  then,  moved,  it  may  be,  by  one  of  the  visions  which 
he  had  so  often,  returned  to  Ireland  and  commenced  his  work  as  a  missionary."  l 

"The  kernel  of  fact  in  the  story  told  by  Probus  about  his  ordination  seems  to  be 
that  Patrick  returned  to  Ireland  on  or  soon  after  his  ordination  as  priest  (say  in  a.  d. 
397),  and  without  any  commission  from  Rome  ;  that  he  labored  for  thirty  years  in  con- 
verting the  pagan  Irish,  but  met  with  little  or  no  success  ;  that  he  attributed  this  failure 
to  the  want  of  episcopal  ordination  and  Roman  authority;  that  in  order  to  have  these 
defects  supplied  he  went  back  to  Gaul  a.  d.  427,  intending  ultimately  to  proceed  to 
Rome  ;  that  he  spent  some  time  in  study  with  Germanus  of  Auxerre ;  that  hearing  of 
the  failure  and  death  of  Palladius,  who  had  been  sent  on  a  mission  to  Ireland  by  Pope 
Celestinus,  in  a.  d.  431,  he  was  directed  by  Germanus  to  take  at  once  the  place  of  the 
deceased  missionary  ;  that  Patrick  thereupon  relinquished  his  journey  to  Rome,  received 
episcopal  consecration  from  a  Gaulish  bishop,  Matorix,  and  returned  a  second  time  to 
Ireland  about  the  year  432,  when  he  was  sixty  years  old,  as  a  missionary  from  the 
Gaulish  Church,  and  supplied  with  Gaulish  assistants  and  funds  for  his  mission.  In 
this  there  is  no  improbability,  no  necessity  to  alter  dates  to  assume  a  plurality  of 
Patricks,  a  duality  of  Paladii,  and  so  transfer  the  acts  of  one  to  another. 

"  There  is  nothing  improbable  in  the  tradition  that  Patrick  landed  at  the  mouth  of 
the  River  Vartry,  where  the  town  of  Wicklow  now  stands,  and  where  about  a  year 
before  Palladius  had  landed.  Thence  Patrick  sailed  northward  along  the  coast,  touching- 
at  Inis  Patrick,  stopping  at  the  mouth  of  the  Boyne,  and  landing  at  Strangford  Lough. 
There  he  converted  the  chieftain  Dichu,  and  received  from  him  the  site  of  the  church 
called  Sabhall  Patraic,  a  name  still  in  existence  as  Saul.  Thence  Patrick  went  to  the 
valley  of  his  captivity,  to  visit  his  old  master,  Miliuc,  and  offer  him  a  double  ransom;  and 
there  occurred  the  event  which  is  commonly  called  a  legend,  but  which  seems  to  be  an  in- 
stance either  of  d/iania2  or  of  propitiatory  self-sacrifice.  Miliuc,  seeking  to  prevent  the 
triumphant  approach  of  his  former  slave,  burned  himself  along  with  his  substance  and 
his  house.  Patrick  then  returned  to  Dichu's  residence  in  Maghinis,  and  there  he  re- 
mained  many  days,  and  the  faith  began  to  grow  in  that  place. 

"  After  leaving   Dichu  he  sailed  to  the  mouth  of  the    Boyne,  and  leaving  his  boats 

1  The  Tripartite  Life  of  St.  Patrick,  vul  i.,  pp.  exxxvii,  exxxviii. 

s  A  Hindi  word  meaning  primarily  the  act  of  sitting  in  restraint  at  the  door  of  a  debtor  by  a  creditor  or  his  agent  to  enforce  pay- 
ment. Then  it  came  o  mean  fasting  at  a  temple  door  to  extort  favors  f.ora  the  idol;  and  later  to  indicate  the  Brahmanic  practice  of 
voluntarily  sitting  dmn  to  die  by  hunger. 

73 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

proceeded  on  foot  to  Slane,  where  he  lighted  his  paschal  fire,  and  the  next  day  went  on  to 
Tara,  chanting  the  hymn  called  The  Deer's  Cry.  There  he  preached  Christ  before  the 
Irish  over-king  Loiquire,  and  converted  his  chief  bard,  Dubthach  Maccu-Lugair. 

"  From  Tara  Patrick  went  to  Telltown,  where  Cabre,  the  king's  brother,  sought  to 
slay  him,  and  caused  his  attendants  to  be  scourged  into  the  River  Blackwater.  Conall 
Gultan,  however,  the  king's  youngest  brother,  received  Patrick  hospitably,  and  gave  him 
the  site  of  a  church.  Patrick  then  proceeded  actively  in  the  conversion  of  Bregia  and 
other  parts  of  the  territory  of  the   Southern  Hui    Neill.     He  then    traveled  to  Tirawley 


^^|^%^^Pa^'- 


K.jUND-TOWKR   of  donaghmobe. 


under  a  safe  conduct  from  the  nobles  of  that  country,  for  which  he  seems  to  have  paid  in 
gold  and  silver  'the  price  of  fifteen  souls  of  men';  and  in  Tirawley,  near  the  present 
town  of  Killala,  he  converted  the  local  king  and  a  great  multitude  of  his  subjects. 

"  After  spending  some  years  in  Connaught,  Patrick  revisited  Ulster,  where  he  erected 
many  churches,  especially  in  Tirconnell.  He  then  visited  Meath,  passed  on  to  Leinster, 
and  baptized  at  Naas  the  two  sons  of  the  king  of  that  province.  He  next  visited  Magh- 
life,  and,  entering  Seix,  now   Queen's  County,  again  met  the   converted  bard,  Dubthach 

74 


THE    VALLEY  OF  THE  BOl'XE. 

M.iccu-Lugair,  and  made  Dubthach's  disciple,  Frace,  Bishop  of  Sletty.  Thence  he  pro- 
ceeded to  Ossory,  and  thence  to  Minister,  where  he  baptized  the  king. 

"  According  to  the  Tripartite  Life,  St.  Patrick  then  founded  Armagh,  the  site  of 
which  he  obtained  from  a  chieftain  named  Daire.  After  having  spent  sixty  years  in  mis- 
sionary work,  partly  as  priest,  partly  as  bishop,  he  died  at  an  advanced  age,  perhaps 
ninety  years,  on  the  17th  March,  probably  in  or  about  the  year  463,  and  was  buried  in 
Downpatrick. 

"  These  are  all,  or  almost  all,  the  facts  relating  to  Patrick  which  are  either  certain  or 
reasonably  probable.  He  seems,  as  Dr.  Todd  says,  to  have  always  addressed  himself  in 
the  first  instance  to  kings  or  chieftains,  the  baptism  of  the  chieftain  being  immediately 
followed  by  the  outward  adherence  of  the  clan  ;  but  it  is  certain  that  the  whole  of  Ireland 
did  not  submit  to  Patrick's  influence. 

"  Even  when  he  wrote  his  Confession  he  tells  us  that  he  looked  daily  for  a  violent 
death  or  to  be  brought  back  to  slavery,  and  there  is  some  evidence  that  a  partial  apos- 
tasy took  place  during  the  two  centuries  following  his  death."  1 

The  many  noted  towns  and  districts  in  the  upper  valley  of  the  Boyne  must  be  passed 
over  with  scant  reference.  They  include  Donaghmore,  with  the  fine  round-tower  so 
prominent  in  the  great  controversy  upon  the  origin  and  use  of  these  buildings,  from  the 
fact  that  above  the  doorway  is  a  sculpture  of  the  crucifixion.  This  was  supposed  by  some 
to  indicate  that  a  pagan  building  had  been  thus  consecrated  to  Christian  use.  Dr.  Petrie 
holds  that  it  rather  fixes  the  date  of  the  tower  to  be  about  the  tenth  century. 

Navan,  Kells,  Bective  Abbey,  Trim,  and  Tara  are  all  well  worth  the  attention  of  the 
traveler.  They  are  all  rich  in  remains  which  indicate  the  part  they  have  played  in  past 
history.  At  Tara,  whose  old  Irish  name,  Teamhair,  means  an  elevated  spot  commanding 
an  extensive  prospect,  there  is  not  only  a  view  similar  to  but  less  comprehensive  than 
that  at  Slane,  but  there  are  also  evidences  of  the  power  of  the  early  Irish  kings.  The 
spot  ceased  to  be  a  royal  residence  as  early  as  563  a.  d.,  and  it  is  hardly  needful  to  state 
that  the  evidences  of  past  grandeur  are  not  so  conspicuous  as  at  Cashel  and  Trim.  The 
remains  are  chiefly  roths  or  duns,  that  is,  old  mounds  and  inclosing  fortifications  of  earth, 
that  have  evidently  been  residences  in  the  past.  The  largest  of  these,  Rath  Riogh  or 
Riga,  is  an  oval  85o  feet  long,  inclosing  the  mounds  known  as  the  Forradh  and  the 
Teach  Cormaic,  or  House  of  Cormac.  The  Forradh  is  flat  at  the  top  and  encircled  by  a 
double  earthwork  inclosing  a  ditch.  Upon  the  center  of  this  stands  a  stone  pillar, 
placed  there  in  1798  to  mark  the  graves  of  some  who  fell  in  conflict  with  the  English 
troops.  This  pillar  had  lain  for  ages  upon  a  neighboring  mound.  Dr.  Petrie  held  that  it 
was  the  famed  Lia  Fail,  or  Stone  of  Destiny,  upon  which  for  many  ages  the  Irish  kings 
were  crowned.  This  opinion  is  not  shared  by  all  scholars  ;  if  it  be  true,  then  this  Lia 
Fail  should  be  under  the  CoronaL  )n  Chair  in  Westminster  Abbey,  in  the  place  of  the 
stone  so  long  preserved  there.  To  the  north  of  the  Forradh  lie  the  remains  of  the  great 
banqueting-hall.  These  consist  of  two  parallel  lines  of  earth  divided  by  openings,  six  on 
each  side,  which  show  where  the  ancient  entrances  stood;  it  was  360  feet  long  and  40 
wide.  From  the  center  of  the  Forradh  the  finest  view  of  the  surrounding  country  is 
obtained. 

Kells  is  a  lively  little  town,  situated  near  the  Blackwater,  celebrated  as  having  been 
the  residence  of  Columba,  who  founded  a  monastery  there   in  55o,  and  as  containing  a 

1  The  Tripartite  Life  of  St.  Patrick,  vol.  i.,  pp.  cxli.-cxliii. 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

round-tower,  a  building  known  as  St.  Columbkille's  house,  and  several  splendid  old  Irish 
crosses.  The  saint's  house  belongs  to  the  class  of  building  and  to  the  same  age  as  St. 
Kevin's  Kitchen,  already  described.  One  of  the  crosses  is  in  the  town,  three  are  in  the 
churchyard,  and  one,  the  finest  of  all,  in  the  market-place.  Kells  was  in  very  remote 
times  the  home  of  learning  and  literature.  The  most  conspicuous  evidence  of  this  is  the 
Book  of  Kells,  so  fully  described  in  Chapter  I.,  which  in  all  probability  was  written  in  the 
monastery  in  this  town. 

Trim,  the  last  place  in  this  rich  valley  we  shall  note,  though  of  great  antiquity,  pre- 
sents important  remains  only  of  much  later  date  than  its  neighbors.  Sir  W.  Wilde  grows 
enthusiastic  over  its  charms.  "  To  see  Trim  aright  the  tourist  must  approach  it  by  the 
Blackbull  Road  from  Dublin,  when  all  the  glorious  ruins  which  crowd  this  historic  locality, 
and  which  extend  over  a  space  of  above  a  mile,  burst  suddenly  upon  him  :  the  remains 
of  St.  John's  Friary  and  castellated  buildings  at  Newtown;  the  stately  abbey  of  St.  Peter 
and  St.  Paul,  a  little  farther  on  ;  the  gray  massive  towers  of  King  John's  Castle  ;  the 
Sheep  Gate  and  portions  of  the  town  wall;  and,  towering  above  all,  the  tall,  command- 
ing form  of  the  Yellow  Steeple,  which  seems  the  guardian  genius  of  the  surrounding 
ruins.  All  these  beauteous  objects,  with  the  ancient  church  tower,  the  town  itself, 
the  Wellington  Testimonial,  and  the  modern  public  buildings,  form  a  combination  of 
scenery  and  an  architectural  diorama  such  as  we  have  rarely  witnessed."1 

The  Yellow  Steeple,  a  square  tower,  of  which  only  the  east  and  part  of  the  north  and 
south  walls  are  standing,  is  1 25  feet  high,  and  was  probably  a  watch-tower.  Immediately 
beside  it,  in  ancient  days,  were  the  buildings  of  St.  Mary's  Abbey.  The  castle  of  King 
John,  so  called  simply  because  that  monarch  once  lodged  in  or  near  it,  was  built  early  in 
the  thirteenth  century,  and  has  the  proud  pre-eminence  of  being  the  finest  ruined  castle 
in  a  country  peculiarly  rich  in  that  class  of  architectural  treasure.  The  ruins  cover  two 
acres  ;  the  donjon  or  keep  rises  to  a  height  of  eighty  feet,  and  the  walls  in  places  are 
twelve  feet  thick.  The  castle  was  surrounded  by  a  moat  486  yards  long,  into  which 
the  waters  of  the  Boyne  could  be  admitted. 

Here,  during  the  last  seven  centuries,  many  a  pageant  has  taken  place  and  many  a 
tragedy  been  enacted.  Men  famous  in  history  have  stayed  within  these  walls.  "  We  can 
not  forget  the  pageants  and  tournaments  of  Richard,  Earl  of  Ulster,  the  imprisonment  of 
the  families  of  the  Dukes  of  Gloucester  and  Lancaster  during  Richard  II. 's  sojourn  in 
this  country  ;  the  confinement  here  of  the  royal  hero  of  Agincourt;  its  occupation  by 
the  De  Lacys,  the  Mortimers,  the  Verdons,  the  Cootes,  its  parliaments  and  its  sieges — 
all  of  which  throw  a  degree  of  splendor  over  the  ruins  of  Trim."  2 

In  the  early  part  of  the  fifteenth  century  Sir  John  Talbot,  the  Scourge  of  France, 
erected  a  castle  at  Trim,  of  which  scarcely  any  traces  remain. 

Dangan,  where  the  Duke  of  Wellington  lived  as  a  boy,  is  only  five  miles  away,  and 
on  his  twenty-first  birthday  Trim  elected  him  as  its  representative  in  the  Irish  Parlia- 
ment. Only  two  miles  distant  is  Laracor,  once  the  residence  of  Dean  Swift;  and  along 
the  quiet  roads  of  this  peaceful  region  he  and  Stella  often  sauntered. 

'  The  Boyne  ana  the  BlackwaHr,  p.  79.  2  Iiid.jp.  95- 


76 


ST.  BRIGID  S  CHURCH  AND  THE  ROUND-TOWER,  KILDARE. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


From  Dublin  to  Cork. 


THE  trip  from  Dublin  to  Bantry  is  made  by  the  main  line  of  the  Great  Southern  and 
Western  Railway  as  far  as  Cork,  and  by  this  route  some  very  beautiful  country 
and  some  famous  places  are  seen.  Kilkenny  and  Cashel,  Kilcolman  and  Youghal, 
Cork  and  Queenstown,  the  Golden  Vale  and  Bantry  Bay  all  lie  either  in  our  path  or 
can  be  seen  with  a  very  slight  expenditure  of  time  and  trouble. 

The  first  stopping-place  of  the  fast  express  is  at  Kildare,  the  Church  of  the  Oak, 
the  place  where,  under  the  shelter  of  an  oak  many  centuries  ago,  St.  Brigid  built  her 
cell.  She  was  born  near  Dundalk,  about  45o  a.d.,  and  founded  in  484  a  great  religious 
house  at  Kildare,  consisting  of  both  monks  and  nuns.  It  is  said  that  from  the  sixth  to 
the  thirteenth  centuries,  a  fire,  lighted  by  Brigid,  was  kept  burning.  The  site  of  the 
cell  in  which  it  burned  is  still  pointed  out.  She  died  about  525.  Forages  past  a  cathe- 
dral, dedicated  to  her,  has  stood  on  an  elevated  site  in  the  town.  On  the  dissolution 
of  the  religious  houses  it  fell  into  a  ruined  condition,  but  in  recent  years  attempts  have 
been  made  to  restore,  or  rather  to  rebuild  it.  The  tower  has  been  rebuilt  and  the  nave  is 
roofed  in.  The  choir  is  now  used  as  a  parish  church  ;  but  although  much  has  been 
done  to  the  nave  and  tower,  they  are  yet  very  far  from  completion.  Close  by  the 
church  stands  the  round-tower.  It  has  been  restored  at  the  top,  but  unfortunately  a 
turreted  parapet  has  been  substituted  for  the  correct  conical  roof.  The  tower  is  in 
good  preservation,  is  130  feet  high,  and  has  a  doorway  which  exhibits  unusual  features 

77 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 


of  interest.  It  is  about  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground,  and  consists  of  three  concentric 
arches,  ornamented  with  fine  zig-zag  mouldings.  From  the  churchyard  a  fine  view  to 
the  north  and  west  is  obtained,  a  conspicuous  feature  being  the  Chair  of  Kildare,  a 
limestone  mass  on  the  hill  called  Grange. 

Kildare  is  a  junction  for  Carlow,  Kilkenny  and  Waterford.     The  old  town   of  Kil- 
kenny is  well  worth  a  visit,  because  of  its  fine  situation  on 

The  stubborn  Newre,  whose  waters  gray, 
By  faire  Kilkenny  and  Rosseponte  boord, 

because  of  the  part  it  has  played  in  Irish  history,  and  because  of  the  architectural  treas- 
ures it  yet  possesses. 

Well  situated  on  an  elevation  overlooking  the  Nore,  stands  the  castle  which  was 

originally  built  by  William,  Earl  of  Pembroke,  1195.  It 
was  purchased  by  James  Butler,  third  Earl  of  Ormonde. 
In  1399  Richard  II.  was  entertained  here,  and  in  March, 
i65o,  Cromwell  captured  it.  Within  very  recent  years  it 
has  been  thoroughly  restored,  although  for  centuries  very 
little  of  the  oriainal  building  has  been  in  existence. 

Kilkenny  in  its  name  commemorates  one  of  the  early 
Christian  teachers.  The  name  means  the  Church  of  Cain- 
nech  or  Canice,  who  was  born  in  5 17,  and  died  in  600.  He 
was  also  venerated  in  Scotland,  under  the  name  of  Ken- 
neth, and  several  churches  in  Argyleshire  are  named  after 
him.  The  Cathedral  of  St.  Canice  is  one  of  the  best  in 
Ireland,  and,  though  named  after  the  saint,  is  of  course  of  a 
much  later  date.  It  was  begun  about  1 180,  and  completed 
in  the  course  of  the  next  century.  It  is  226  feet  long  and 
123  feet  wide  at  the  transepts.  From  the  juncture  of  the 
nave  and  transepts  a  low  but  massive  tower  rises.  The 
cathedral  has  a  very  fine  western  door ;  it  contains  many 
tombs,  especially  those  of  members  of  the  Ormonde  family. 
Near  the  south  transept  rises  a  round-tower,  perfect,  with 
the  exception  of  the  conical  roof. 

Several  Parliaments  met  here,  the  most  notorious  being 
that  which  passed,  in    1367,  what  were  known  as  the  Kil- 
kenny Statutes,  one  of  which  enacted  that  marriage  with  the  "  mere  Irish"  was  treason, 
and  that  any  one  using  the  Irish  dress  or  language  should  forfeit  his  lands  ! 

Leaving  Kildare  and  Kilkenny  behind,  and  hastening  on  toward  the  west,  the 
Rock  of  Cashel  next  deserves  attention.  Like  Kilkenny,  only  in  much  higher  degree, 
Cashel  combines  beauty  of  situation  with  a  wealth  of  ancient  architectural  remains  and 
historical  associations.  Cashel  is  a  small  country  town,  not  specially  noteworthy  in 
itself,  the  houses  of  which  cluster  near  the  base  of  a  mass  of  limestone  rock  300  feet 
high.  This  mass  of  limestone  forms  the  far-famed  Rock  of  Cashel.  Rising  as  it  does 
very  abruptly  from  the  broad  fertile  Golden  Vale  of  Tipperary,  it  formed  a  natural  for- 
tress, certain  to  be  adapted  in  warlike  times  to  purposes  of  defence.  Equally  certain 
also  was  it  to  become  the  site  of  religious  buildings.  The  combination  of  castle  and 
78 


THE   DOORWAY  IN  THE  ROUND- 
TOWEli   AT   KILDARE. 


FROM  DUBLIN  TO   CORK. 


abbey,  of  religious  and  military  power,  so  frequently  met  with  in  Ireland,  existed  here 
in  full  force.  The  ecclesiastical  remains  are  now  much  more  prominent  than  the  military. 
Comparatively  few  traces 
of  the  ancient  fortifications 
remain,  but  the  eye  is 
almost  bewildered  by  the 
towers  and  turrets  and 
arches  of  the  churches  ; 
yet  the  balance  is  well 
preserved.  The  mere  ap- 
pearance of  the  rock  con- 
veys a  sense  of  strength 
and  security,  testifying  to 
its  ancient  power  ;  while 
there  is  a  fitness,  if  choice 
must  be  made,  in  the  fact 
that  the  splendid  architect- 
ural remains  tend  to  di- 
rect the  thoughts  of  the 
observer  from  earthly 
might  and  splendor  to- 
ward the  kingdom  of  Heaven 
and  the  Prince  of  Peace. 

The  name  reflects  the  past  history  of  the 
country,  for  there  were  many  Cashels  scat- 
tered over  Ireland  in  ancient  days,  and  the 
word  has  long  formed  part  of  many  proper 
names.  It  comes  from  the  Irish  caiseal,  and 
signifies  a  circular  stone  fort.  The  rock  at 
this  particular  Cashel  having  been  in  early 
times  the  stronghold  of  the  kings  of  Munster, 
and  having  pre-eminent  natural  advantages, 
has  in  the  course  of  time  appropriated  the 
generic  as  its  own  specific  name. 

The  earliest  historical  references  to 
Cashel  describe  it  as  the  regal  fortress  of 
the  kings  of  Munster.  St.  Patrick,  according 
to  the  life  in  the  Book  of  Armagh,  visited 
Cashel,  and  converted  the  king.  "  After 
this  Patrick  went  into  the  Province  of  Muns- 
ter, to  Cashel  of  the  Kings.  When  Oen- 
gus,  son  of  Natfraich,  arose  in  the  morning, 
all  the  idols  were  on  their  faces  ;  and  Patrick, 
with  his  household,    found  him  beside    the  «r.  canice's  steps,  Kilkenny. 

fort.     He    gave  them  welcome  and  brought  them   into   the  fort  to    the  place  where 
Patrick's  flagstone  is  to-day.     And  after  this,  Patrick  baptized  Natfraich's  sons,  and  left 

79 


IRELAXD  ILLUSTRA  TED. 


blessing  and  prosperity 
upon  them  ;  and  blessed 
the  fort,  namely  Cashel, 
and  said  that  until  Doom 
only  one  slaughter  should 
take  place  there.  And  he 
abode  seven  years  in 
Munster. 

"  While    Patrick    was 
baptizing      Oengus,      the 
spike    of  the  crosier  went 
through     Oengus's     foot. 
Said  Patrick,  '  Why  didst 
thou  not  tell  this  to  me  ?  ' 
'  It  seemed  to   me,'  saith 
IK] Oengus,  '  that  it  was  a  rite  of  the  faith.' 
$'  Thou  shalt  have  its  reward,'  said  Pat- 
rick;   'thy  successor,  shall  not  die  of  a 
wound  from  to-day  forever.'       No  one 
is  King  of  Cashel  until    Patrick    installs 
him,  and  confers  ecclesiastical  rank  upon 
him  ;    and    twenty-seven    kings    of  the 
race  of  Ailill  and  Oengus  ruled  in  Cashel 
under  a  crosier  until  the  time  of  Cenn-gecan,  slain  a.d.  897."  1 

In  1 10 1,  according  to  the  Annals  of  the  Four  Masters,  a  convocation  of  the  people 
of  the  southern   half  of  Ireland   was  held  at  Cashel,  at  which  Murtough  O'Brien,  tbe 

1    Tripartite  Life  of  St.  Patrick,  vol.  I.,  pp.  195,  197. 
80 


THE  ROCK  OF  CASHEL. 


FROM  DUBLIN  TO  CORK. 

king,  gave  Cashel  to  the  devout,  "  for  the  use  of  the  religious  in  Ireland  in  general." 
Murtough's  successor,  Cormac,  built  the  famous  chapel  in  1134.  In  11 52  Cashel 
became  the  seat  of  the  archbishopric  of  Munster,  and  soon  after  a  cathedral  was  built. 
Henry  II.  here  received  the  homage  of  Donnell  O'Brien,  King  of  Munster;  Edward 
Bruce  held  a  parliament  here  ;  in  1495,  Gerald,  Earl  of  Kildare,  burned  the  cathedral, 
because  he  thought  the  archbishop  was  inside.  He  was  grieved  afterward  to  learn  that 
his  supposition  was  incorrect. 

The  chief  buildings  upon  the  Rock  of  Cashel  are  the  round-tower,  Cormac's 
Chapel,  and  the  ruined  cathedral.  The  cluster  of  towers,  arches  and  walls  presents  a 
most  effective-  appearance  as  the  traveler  approaches  the  rock  on  his  jaunting  car. 
The  round-tower  stands  at  the  north-east  corner  of  the  north  transept  of  the  cathedral, 
is  90  feet  high,  5o  feet  in  circumference,  and  has  walls  4  feet  thick.  It  was  divided 
into  five  stories  or  floors,  and  the  masonry  is  said  to  be  as  good  as  that  of  the  White 


,.p^, 


S3 


■t§;         ili 


■■v  & ' 


"1      ■•< 


23rt£3Stej-i;P 


!  \  is  '■> 


if  kSmpH 

mm:. 


THE   INTERIOR   OF   CORMAC  S   CHAPEL,    CASHEL. 


Tower  in  the  Tower  of  London.  The  original  conical  roof  is  still  upon  it.  Although 
not  specially  mentioned  in  any  of  the  Irish  annals,  there  can  be  but  little  doubt  that 
this  is  the  most  ancient  of  all  the  buildings  now  standing  upon  the  rock. 

Next  in  order  of  time,  but  supreme  in  historical  and  architectural  interest,  comes 
the  unique  Chapel  of  Cormac.  This  was  begun  by  Cormac  MacCarthy,  King  of  Muns- 
ter, in  1 127,  and  consecrated  in  11 34  a.  d.  The  entry  in  the  annals  of  Inisfallen  runs: 
"  1 1 34.  The  church  built  by  Cormac  MacCarthy  at  Cashel  was  consecrated  by  the 
archbishop  and  bishops  of  Munster,  at  which  ceremony  the  nobility  of  Ireland,  both 
clergy  and  laity,  were  present."  Notwithstanding  its  great  age,  the  edifice  is  in  very 
good  preservation,  and  presents  many  features  of  special  interest  to  the  student  of 
ecclesiastical  architecture.     It  differs  in  several  respects  from  the  common  type.     It 

has  no  east  window  in  the  chancel,  and  no  original  west  door  ;  it  has  both  a  north  and 

81 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

south  entrance,  and  at  each  side  of  the  end  of  the  nave  a  tower  rises,  the  southern  to  a 
height  of  55  feet,  the  northern  5o.  In  the  southern  tower  is  a  staircase  leading  to 
some  apartments  situated  between  the  interior  stone  roof,  and  the  high  external  vaulted 
roof.  The  chancel  arch  is  very  handsome,  and  is  not  placed  in  the  center,  but  at  the 
southern  side  of  the  dividing  wall.  The  arch  is  decorated  with  numerous  carved 
human  heads.     The  whole  building  is  5o  feet  long  by  18  wide. 


NORTH   DOORWAY,    CORMAC  S   CHAPEL,    CASHEL. 


The  north  door,  of  which  we  give  an  engraving,  is  very  richly  decorated.  It 
doubtless  formed  the  original  main  entrance  to  the  chapel.  It  consists  of  five  concen- 
tric arches,  supported  by  five  columns  and  a  double  column.  In  the  archway  of  the 
door  is  a  sculpture  representing  a  centaur  shooting  at  a  lion,  which  is  tearing  some 
other  animal  beneath  its  paws. 

A  recess  in  the  north  wall  holds  a  tomb  said  to  be  that  of  Cormac  MacCarthy ;  but 
8s 


IRo.M  DUBLIX  TO   CORK. 


there  is  reason  to  believe  that  it  is  later  in  date,  Cormac's  tomb  having  been  removed 
■a  century  or  so  ago  to  the  north  transept  of  the  cathedral  close  by.  The  ornamenta- 
tion on  this  latter  tomb  is  twelfth-century  work,  and  when  it  was  opened  many  years 
•ago  a  fine  crosier  was  found  in  it.  This  ultimately  passed  into  Dr.  Petrie's  possession, 
who  after  carefully  studying  the  old  annals  came  to  the  conclusion  that  Cormac  was  a 
bishop  as  well  as  a  king,  ami  hence  that  the  crosier  may  be  the  one  used  by  Cormac 
himself.  The  head  only  has  survived,  the  rest  being  of  perishable  material.  "  This  is 
formed  of  copper,  and  measures  12  inches  in  length 
and  5  in  the  diameter  of  the  crook.  Its  surface  is 
covered  with  a  sunk  lozenge  carving,  filled  with  a 
vitreous  enamel  of  a  blue  color,  the  intervening 
elevations  of  which  are  gilt — a  design  obviously 
intended  to  represent  the  scales  of  a  reptile.  Within 
the  curve  is  a  human  figure,  standing,  with  one  leg 
placed  on  the  neck  of  the  serpent,  and  the  other  on 
the  back  of  a  double-faced,  wingless  dragon,  which 
be  has  pierced  in  the  back  with  a  spear  which  the 
dragon  bites.  This  human  figure  is  dressed  in  a 
simple  tunic,  tied  round  the  waist ;  and  the  feet  are 
covered  with  buskins  which  extend  above  the 
ankles.  The  bowl  is  encircled  by  a  central  belt 
ornamented  with  nine  turquoises  and  nine  sapphires 
placed  alternately  and  at  equal  distances  from  each 
other.  Immediately  above  the  bowl  is  an  ornament 
resembling  the  Irish  crown.  The  lower  part  or 
socket  is  ornamented  with  a  very  graceful  pattern 
•composed  of  leaves  or  Mowers  in  three  vertical 
ranges,  separated  from  each  other  by  three  figures 
of  a  fish,  the  well-known  mystical  symbol  of  the 
early  Christians  ;  and  these  are  each  ornamented 
with  a  range  of  seven  gems,  turquoises  and  sap- 
phires, placed  alternately  at  equal  distances  along 
the  back."1 

In  the  cemetery  adjoining  the  buildings  there 
are  no  ancient  crosses  like  those  at  Monasterboice, 
but  near  the  entrance  to  the  cathedral  stands  what 
is  known  as  the  Cross  of  Cashel.  This  when  com- 
plete must  have  been  a  very  fine  piece  of  work, 
enough  of  its  ornamentation  can  be  made  out  to  prove  that  it  most  probably  dates  from 
the  twelfth  century.  The  figure  cut  in  the  stone  is  supposed  to  be  St.  Patrick,  and 
the  Kings  of  Munster  are  said  to  have  been  crowned  while  standing  on  its  pedestal. 

While  the  cathedral  dates  from  the  latter  half  of  the  twelfth  century,  most  of  the 
work  now  standing  was  built  about  the  close  of  the  fourteenth.  It  is  260  feet  long  and 
1 70  feet  wide  at  the  transept,  and  a  large  part  of  the  fine  central  tower  is  still  standing. 
It  may  be  easily  ascended,  and  from  the  top  one  of  the  best  views  in  the  south  of  Ire- 

1  Round-Towers  of  Ireland,  p.  313. 

83 


CROSIEB  FOUND  ON  OPENING  A  TOMB 
IN   COEJIAC'S   CHAPEL,   CASHEL. 

It  is  now  greatly  dilapidated,  but 


IRELAND   ILLUSTRATED. 


land  is  to  be  obtained.  It  was  intact  and  used  for  divine  worship  until  the  time  of 
Archbishop  Price,  1 744-1752,  who,  according  to  tradition,  not  being  able  to  drive  his 
carriage  up  to  the  church  door,  obtained  an  Act  of  Parliament  to  remove  the  cathedral 
to  the  town,  and  unroofed  the  old  building  for  the  sake  of  its  lead!  All  subsequent 
attempts  to  restore  it  failed,  and  it  now  remains  a  melancholy  but  a  picturesque  ruin. 

The  Rock  of  Cashel  affords  material  for  a  whole  volume  of  antiquarian  disquisition. 
Few  places  better  reward  the  time  spent  in  acquiring  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  remains 
and  their  story  ;  but,  like  Glendalough,  the  charm  of  the  place  does  not  depend  wholly 
upon  these.     The  lover  of  the  beautiful  can  indulge  his  passion  here,  and  find  ample 

satisfaction.  Standing  on  the  ruined  cathedral  tower, 
or  strolling  along  the  edge  of  the  rock  which  slopes 
abruptly  away  from  the  observer's  feet,  a  magnificent 
expanse  of  country  stretches  out  before  him.  His  eye 
ranges  over  one  of  the  most  fertile  tracts  of  Ireland, 
the  Golden  Vale  of  Tipperary.  Away  to  the  north  is 
the  beautiful  river  scene  where  stands  Holy  Cross 
Abbey,  on  the  banks  of  the  Suir ;  farther  beyond, 
the  town  of  Thurles,  and  the  Devil's  Bit  Mountain, 
the  spot  whence  the  Prince  of  Darkness,  according  to 
popular  tradition,  snapped  the  Rock  of  Cashel  in  a  fit  of 
hunger  and  weariness,  but  soon  dropped  it  in  disgust. 
To  the  south  are  the  rich  lands  of  Tipperary,  lying 
warm  and  luxuriant  in  the  sunshine,  having  a 
superb  background  in  the  distant  Galty  Mount- 
ains ;  while  in  the  western  distance  are  the 
summits  of  the  Slieve  Phelim  hills,  beyond 
which  is  the  busy  town  of  Limerick. 
It  is  a  scene  upon  which  the  delighted 
eye  loves  to  linger,  and  which,  when 
once  enjoyed  under  favorable  con- 
:  ditions,  lives  long  in  the  memory. 
Amid  such  rich  natural  beauty,  one 
may  forget  the  past,  and  rejoice  only 
in  the  happy  present.  The  past,  however,  asserts  itself  even  in  the  landscape,  for  as 
the  eye  turns  from  the  peaks  of  the  Galty  Mountains,  or  from  the  rich  coloring  of  the 
distant  plain,  it  falls  upon  the  ruined  towers  and  arches  of  Hore  Abbey,  which  rise  in  the 
immediate  foreground,  and  carry  the  thoughts  back  once  again  to  the  men  and  the  life 
of  five  centuries  ago. 

After  leaving  Cashel  there  is  not  much  of  very  special  interest  until  Cork  is  reached. 
From  the  train  fine  views  of  the  Galty  Mountains  are  obtained,  especially  in  the  early 
part  of  the  year,  when  the  snow  is  lying  in  the  gullies,  and  crowning  the  summits.  But 
for  the  most  part  the  gently  undulating  country  is  devoid  of  attractiveness.  Oueenstown, 
Youghal,  and  Kilcolman  are  places  that  make  demands  upon  the  attention  ;  and  as  they 
are  all  easily  reached  from  Cork,  we  may  best  visit  them  after  we  have  seen  that  city.1 

1  Tourists  from  America  naturally  land  at  Queenstown  and  make  their  way  northward,  finally  going  from  Londonderry  arid. 
Belfast  to  Glasgow. — Ed. 
84 


THE   CROSS   OF   CASHEL. 


FROM  DUBLIN  TO  CORK. 


The  metropolis  of  southern  Ireland  is  a  city  of  80,000  inhabitants,  well  situated  on 
the  banks  and  in  the  valley  of  the  Lee.  It  is  a  great  port,  and  also  the  center  of  the 
butter  trade  for  southwestern  Ireland.  Provisions  and  grain  are  also  exported  in 
considerable  quantities.  There  are  many  evidences  of  trade  and  busy  life  in  the  city  ; 
but  there  are  also  those  signs  of  depression  so  common  in  Irish  towns.  Empty  and 
ruined  houses  may  be  seen  in  or  near  the  main  thoroughfares  ;  and,  busy  as  the  streets 
and  wharves  undoubtedly  are,  they  yet  do  not  convey  the  impression  of  being  utilized 
up  to  the  full  measure  of  possibility.1 

Cork  produces  strangely  mixed  impressions  upon  the  stranger.  Looked  at  as  a 
whole  from  one  of  the  heights  commanding  the  city,  the  impression  is  pleasing.  Some 
of  the  streets,  as,  for  example,  the  Grand  Parade,  George's  Street,  the  South  Mall,  and 
Patrick  Street,  are  fine  wide  thoroughfares,  filled  with  well-stocked  shops,  handsome 
buildings,  and  well-dressed  people  intent  upon  business.     The  quays  and  the  bridges,  six 


GENERAL   VIEW   OF   CORK. 

in  number,  are  also  fine  and  commodious,  the  most  noteworthy  being  St.  Patrick's  and 
Parnell's,  the  latter  a  fine  swivel  bridge,  opened  in  1882.  But  many  of  the  other  streets 
are  narrow,  irregularly  built,  and  not  at  all  inviting  to  the  passer-by.  Still,  Cork  ought 
to  be  estimated  as  a  great  sea-port,  and  judged  on  these  lines  it  is  perhaps  ungracious 
to  find  much  fault. 

The  city  possesses  some  very  handsome  buildings,  notably  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Fin 
Barre,  which  stands  on  the  site  of  ass  ancient  monastery,  and  was  consecrated  in  1870. 
This  magnificent  building  is  an  example  of  what  can  be  done  by  the  energy  of  one 
man.  The  late  bishop,  John  Gregg,  obtained  the  money,  laid  the  foundation-stone, 
■consecrated  the  building,  and  arose  from  his  bed,  only  a  few  weeks  before  his  death,  to 
place  the  top  stones  upon  the  towers  and  the  spire.     The  Roman-Catholic  Cathedral  is 

1  Cork  was  a  native  monarch.     Some  derive  the  name  from  Corcagh,   Marsh,  the  city  being  built  on  marshy  islands.     The  great 
•painter  James  Barry  left  Cork  in  boyhood,  never  to   return.       "Cork  gave  me  breath,  but  never  would  have  given  me  bread,"  he 


said  — Ed. 


8S 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

a  handsome  structure,  and  Trinity  Presbyterian  Church  is  one  of  the  architectural  orna- 
ments of  the  town. 

One  of  the  Queen's  colleges  is  situated  in  Cork.  In  the  churchyard  of  St.  Anne's,, 
at  Shandon,  lie  the  remains  of  Father  Prout,  near  the  spot  he  loved,  and  within  sound 
of  those  bells  of  which  he  wrote  : 

With  deep  affection  I've  heard  bells  chiming 

And  recollection  Full  many  a  clime  in, 

I  often  think  of  Tolling  sublime  in 

These  Shandon  bells,  Cathedral  shrine, 

Whose  sound  so  wild  would,  While  at  a  glib  rate 

In  the  days  of  childhood,  Brass  tongues  would  vibrate— 

Fling  round  my  cradle  But  all  their  music 

Their  magic  spells.  Spoke  naught  like  thine ; 

On  this  I  ponder  For  memory  dwelling 
Where'er  I  wander,  On  each  proud  swelling 

And  thus  grow  fonder,  Of  thy  belfry  knelling 

Sweet  Cork,  of  thee ;  Its  bold  notes  free, 

With  thy  bells  of  Shandon  Made  the  bells  of  Shandon 
That  sound  so  grand  on  Sound  far  more  grand  on 

The  pleasant  waters  The  pleasant  waters 

Of  the  River  Lee.  Of  the  River  Lee. 

The  easiest,  and  in  some  respects  the  pleasantest,  excursion  from  Cork  is  a  visit  to> 
Queenstown,  or,  as  it  used  to  be  called,  the  Cove  of  Cork.  The  most  enjoyable  way  is 
to  go  by  steamer,  but  the  trip  by  rail  affords  good  views  of  the  finest  scenery.  For 
some  miles  the  route  lies  along  the  river,  which  soon  begins  to  widen  out  into  a  very 
fine  stream.  On  the  north  bank  the  land  rises  rapidly  to  a  considerable  elevation,  and 
is  very  well  wooded.  The  citizens  of  Cork  have  not  been  slow  to  avail  themselves  of 
the  fine  sites  thus  afforded  for  comfortable  residences,  and  many  fine  houses  adorn  both 
the  north  and  south  shores.  A  conspicuous  landmark  upon  the  southern  bank  is  Black- 
rock  Castle,  a  modern  building,  situated  upon  a  promontory  at  a  bend  in  the  river,, 
which  here  turns  sharply  to  the  south  and  broadens  into  a  fine  estuary.  The  railroad 
to  Queenstown  runs  along  the  north  shore,  while  the  Cork  and  Passage  Railway 
occupies  the  southern. 

Passino-  Carrieraloe  and  Monkstown,  the  steamer  rounds  a  point  and  then  enters  one 
of  the  most  commodious  and  also  one  of  the  loveliest  harbors  in  the  world.  It  is  three 
miles  long  and  two  miles  wide,  and  is  completely  landlocked,  being  entered  by  a 
channel  two  miles  long  and  one  wide.  The  expanse  of  water  is  broken  by  two  islands, 
Haulbowline  and  Spike  Island.  The  harbor  runs  east  and  west,  and  along  its  northern 
shore  the  town  is  built.  The  land  rises  abruptly  to  a  height  of  several  hundred  feet,, 
and  a  very  easy  climb  will  bring  the  visitor  to  one  or  other  of  many  points  of  vantage. 
The  enormous  steamers  of  several  of  the  trans-Atlantic  lines  call  here,  the  harbor  is. 
generally  busy  with  shipping,  and,  seen  under  a  sunny  sky,  few  landscapes  are  so  fair. 
An  Eastern  traveler  compares  it  to  the  Bosphorus. 

Six  miles  distant  to  the  east  is  Cloyne,  formerly  the  seat  of  an  independent  bishopic, 
but  now  associated  with  Cork.  The  famous  philosopher,  Berkeley,  was  Bishop  of 
Cloyne  from  1734  to  1753,  and  resided  there  for  seventeen  years.  The  glory  of  the 
town  has  departed ;  the  old  cathedral  is  used  as  a  parish  church,  and  there  still  stands  a 
fine  round-tower,  over  100  feet  in  height.      Farther  still  to  the  east,  about  twenty-six 


86 


FROM  DUBLIN  TO  CORK. 

miles  from  Cork,  is  the  town  of  Youghal,  well  situated  on  the  hill  overlooking  the 
mouth  of  the  Blackwater,  the  river  whose  valley  forms  one  of  the  prettiest  parts  of 
Ireland.  The  town  contains  about  six  thousand  inhabitants,  and  is  proud  of  its  build- 
ings and  of  its  historical  associations.  The  great  church  of  St.  Mary  was  for  many 
years,  like  the  Dublin  cathedrals,  in  a  ruinous  state,  and  has,  like  them,  been  restored 
in  recent  years.  A  collegiate  establishment  was  founded  here  by  the  Earl  of  Desmond 
in  1464,  but  the  church  dates  back  to  the  thirteenth  century.  The  establishment  con- 
sisted of  a  warden,  eight  fellows,  and  eight  singing-men,  and  the  endowment  was  three 
thousand  dollars  a  year.  The  house  or  college  in  which  they  resided  is  still  in  exist- 
ence ;  but  it  is  memorable  from  the  fact  that  there  once  lived  in  it  for  several  years  a 
famous  Englishman,  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  and  that  he  there  entertained  the  great  and 
gentle  poet  Edmund  Spenser.  The  house  retains  few  traces  of  its  ancient  appearance  ; 
it  is  rather  an  Elizabethan  manor.    It  was  repaired  in  1602  by  Sir  George  Carew.and  a 


SIR   WALTER  RALEIGH'S   HOUSE,    YOUGHAL   (WITH    BAY   WINDOW   OF   HIS   STUDY). 

few  years  later  by  Sir  Richard  Boyle,  afterward  Earl  of  Cork,  since  it  had  been  greatly 
injured  in  Desmond's  rebellion.  The  interior  is  wainscoted  with  finely  carved  Irish 
oak.  Tradition  states  that  in  the  garden  of  this  house  Raleigh  planted  the  first  potato 
that  grew  in  Ireland,  and  that  under  its  yew-tree  Spenser  smoked  the  new  and  strange 
tobacco,  and  pondered  The  Faerie  Queenc.  But  it  seems  to  have  been  too  peaceful  a 
home  for  the  brilliant  soldier  and  statesman,  and,  although  prominent  for  a  time  in  the 
conduct  of  Irish  affairs,  his  stay  here  was  brief.  Raleigh  was  present  at  the  capture  of 
Smerwick  Fort  in  November,  i5~9  ;  in  1 584  he  obtained  the  grant  of  a  large  tract  of 
land  in  Munster  ;  in  i58q  he  was  again  in  Ireland,  and  on  his  return  to  England  took 
Spenser  with  him,  and  introduced  him  to  Queen  Elizabeth.  The  same  year  saw  the 
publication  of  the  first  three  books  of  Spenser's  masterpiece. 

The  Blackwater,  like  its  Meath  namesake,  has  a  great  reputation  among  the  lovers 
of  natural  beauty.       Following  the  river  up  some  twenty  or  thirty  miles,  the  Awbeg, 

87 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

one  of  the  main  tributaries,  is  reached.  This  stream  is  well  known  to  anglers,  and  is 
noted  for  the  fine  trout  it  contains ;  it  is  also  known  to  the  readers  of  Elizabethan  poetry 
as  one  of  the  streams  described  by  Spenser  in  his  Colin  Clout's  Come  Home  Again, 
which  was  penned  in  i5qi,  during  his  years  of  dreary  banishment.  The  Mulla  of  this 
poem  is  the  Awbeg  of  to-day  : 

"Mulla,   the  daughter  of  Old  Mole,   so  bright, 

The  nymph  which  of  that  watercourse  has  charge, 
That,   springing  out  of  Mole,  doth  run  downright 

To  Buttevant,   where  spreading  forth  at  large 
It  giveth  name  unto  that  ancient  city 

Which  Kil-ne-mullah  cleped  is  of  old, 
Whose  ragged  ruins  breed  great  ruth  and  pity 

To  travelers,   which  it  from  lar  behold." 


KILCOLMAN    CASTLE. 

About  two  miles  to  the  northwest  of  Doneraile,  a  small  town  on  the  Awbeg,  are  the 

ruins  of  Kilcolman  Castle,  for  ten  years  the  home  of  Spenser.       Judging  from  present 

appearance,  it  can  never  have   been  a  cheerful  abode.     It  was  a  fairly  strong  keep,  as 

every  gentleman's  house  had   to  be  in  those  stormy,  troublous  times  ;  the  rooms  are 

small,  and  the  arrangements  for  the   comfort  of  the  occupant  seem  to  have  been  so 

necessarily  imperfect  that  the  visitor  does  not  feel  much  desire  for  a  return  of  those 

"good  old  times,"  at  any  rate  if  this  should  involve  a  return  to  such  residences  as  the 

poet's  home.       This  applies  only  to  the  castle  itself,  for  the  surroundings  were  very 

lovely.     "The  castle,"  writes  Charles  Smith,  in  his  Natural  and  Civil  History  of  the 

County  and  City  of  Cork,  "  is  now  almost  level  with  the  ground,  and  was  situated  on  the 

north  side  of  a  fine  lake,  in  the  midst  of  a  vast  plain,  terminated  to  the  east  by  the 

County  of  Waterford  mountains;    Ballyhowra  Hills  to  the  north,  or,  as  Spenser  terms 
88 


FROM  DUBLIN  TO  CORK. 

them,  the.  Mountains  of  Mole,  Nagle  Mountains  to  the  south,  and  the  Mountains  of 
Kerry  to  the  west.  It  commanded  a  view  of  above  half  the  breadth  of  Ireland  ;  and 
must  have  been,  when  the  adjacent  uplands  were  wooded,  a  most  pleasant  and  romantic 
situation.'' 

It  is  here  that  Spenser  learned  some  of  the  deepest  lessons  of  life.  Driven  into 
himself  by  the  uncongenial  nature  of  his  surroundings,  compelled  to  practice  self-denial, 
he  entered  into  fuller  communion  with  the  natural  beauties  around  him.  Here  he 
passed  through  some  of  the  uncertainties  of  a  long  but  at  the  last  successful  wooing  ; 
and  here  he  enjoyed  the  happiness  of  a  married  life  based  upon  deep  and  ardent 
affection.  Thus  taught  and  disciplined,  he  learned  those  truths  which  he  afterward  so 
beautifully  expressed  in  his  Hymne  of  Heavenly  Love,  in  which  the  poet  shows  that  he 
had  learned  the  true  secret  of  the  Gospel.     After  describing  how 

"Man,  forgetful  of  his  Master's  grace, 

No  less  than  angels,  whom  he  did  ensue, 
Fell  from  the  hope  of  promised  heavenly  place 
Into  the  mouth  of  death,  to  sinners  due, 
And  all  his  offspring  into  thraldom  threw," 

and  how  the    Lord   Jesus   Christ, 

"  Out  of  the  bosom  of  eternal  blisse 

In  which  he  reigned  with   His  glorious  Sire, 
He  down  descended,  like  a  most  demisse 
And  abject  thrall  in  flesh's  frail  attire, 
That  He  for  him  might  pay  Sin's  deadly  hire, 
And  him  restore  unto  that  happy  slate 
In  which  he  stood  before  his  hapless  fate," 

the  poet  goes  on  to  ask — 

"  How  can  we  Thee  requite  for  all  this  good  ? 
Or  what  can  prize  that  Thy  most  precious  blood  ? 

"  Yet  naught  Thou  ask'st  in  lieu  of  all  this  love 
But  love  of  us,   for  guerdon  of  Thy  pain  : 
Ay  me !   what  can  us  less  than  that  behove  ? 
Had  He  required  life  for  us  again, 
Had  it  been  wrong  to  ask  His  owne  with  gain  ? 
He  gave  us  life,   He  it  restored  lost  ; 
Then  life  were  least,  that  us  so  little  cost. 

"  But  He  our  life  hath  left  unto  us  free  ; 
Free  that  was  thrall,  and  blessed  that  was  banned  ; 
He  ought  demands  but  that  we  loving  be, 
As  He  Himself  hath  loved  us  afore-hand, 
And  bound  thereto  with  an  eternal  band, 
Him  first  to  love  that  was  so  dearly  bought, 
And  next  our  brethern,  to  His  image  wrought." 

The  years  which  Spenser  passed  at  Kilcolman  were  among  the  most  eventful  in  the 
whole  course  of  English  history.  He  came  to  Ireland  in  i58o  with  the  Deputy,  Lord 
Grey  de  Wilton,  and  for  about  eight  years  he  seems  to  have  resided  in  or  near  Dublin. 
In  all  probability  i588  was  the  year  in  which  he  began  his  residence  at  Kilcolman.  While 
he  dreamed  and  chafed  during  his  years  of  unwelcome  banishment  from  England,  Sidney 
died  in  Holland,  the  beautiful  but  wicked  Mary  Oueen  of  Scots  perished  on  the  scaffold, 

89 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

the  Armada  came  and  was  destroyed,  and  England  emerged  from  her  life  and  death  con- 
flict with  Spain  and  the  Papacy,  victorious  and  with  such  triumphant  energy  that  she  left 
medisevalism  behind  forever,  and  took  her  place  in  the  van  of  modern  life  and  progress. 
Spenser  felt  most  keenly  the  loss  of  his  friend  and  typical  hero,  Sir  Philip  Sidney,  and 
has  enshrined  his  grief  in  noble  verse.  In  the  struggle  known  as  Tyrone's  Insurrection, 
Kilcolman  Castle  was  attacked  and  burned,  Spenser  and  his  family  escaping  only  with  very 
great  difficulty,  and  according  to  some  accounts  with  the  loss  of  an  infant  child,  who  was 
burned  with  the  castle. 

The  easiest  and  favorite  excursion  from  Cork  is  to  Blarney  Castle,  a  spot  which  amply 
deserves  the  reputation  it  has  acquired,  although  that  reputation  rests  mainly  upon  the 
features  of  the  place  least  worthy  to  sustain  it.     Multitudes   wish  -to   touch  the   Blarney 


BLARNEY     CASTLE. 


Stone,  who  are  not  impressed  by  the  picturesque  solendor  of  the  old  ruin  or  the  exceeding 
beauty  of  its  surroundings.  The  castle  stands  upon  a  hillside  which  slopes  steeply  down 
to  the  River  Blarney,  a  stream  which  winds  through  a  lovely  and  well-wooded  valley. 
Hard  by  is  the  neat  little  town,  in  which  are  several  mills  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  tweed. 

The  castle  dates  from  the  fifteenth  century,  and  was  founded  by  Cormac  MacCarthy, 
who  also  founded  the  abbey  and  castle  of  Kilcrea,  in  the  former  of  which  he  was  buried. 
The  castles  and  estates  were  forfeited  in  1689,  the  last  of  the  original  owners  being 
allowed  a  pension  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars. 

Seen  across  the  river  by  the  approach  from  the  town,  the  lofty  gray  mass  of  the  huge 
quadrangular  keep  towering  above  the  foliage  of  the  trees,  the  castle  presents  a  very  im- 
posing appearance. 
90 


FROM  DUBLIN  TO  CORK. 

The  real  Blarney  Stone  was  one  containing  the  inscription  Cormac  Mac  Car  thy  for  tis 
me  fieri  fecit  .  1.  D.  The  situation  of  the  stone  has  shown  a  tendency  to  vary  according 
to  the  predilections  of  the  guides  ;  but  that  now  exhibited  is  the  lowermost  of  those 
clasped  between  the  iron  bars,  as  shown  in  the  engraving.  Whatever  the  origin  of  the 
tradition,  and  of  the  custom  of  kissing  the  Blarney  Stone,  the  reputation  it  has  acquired 
of  recent  years  has  been  due  largely  to  Father  Prout's  verses  : 

There  is  a  stone  there,  The  groves  of  Blarney, 

That  whoever  kisses,  They  look  so  charming, 

Oh  !  he  never  misses  Down  by  the  purlings 

To  grow  eloquent.  Of  sweet  silent  brooks, 

'Tis  he  may  clamber  All  decked  by  posies 

To  a  lady's  chamber,  That  spontaneous  grow  there 

Or  become  member  Planted  in  order 

Of  Parliament.  In  the  rocky  nooks. 

A  clever  spouter  'Tis  there  the  daisy 

He'll  sure  turn  out,  or  And  the  sweet  carnation, 

An  out  and  outer  The  blooming  pink 

"  To  be  let  alone"  !  And  the  rose  so  fair  ; 

Don't  hope  to  hinder  him  Likewise  the  lily 

Or  to  bewilder  him,  And  daffadowndilly — 

Sure  he's  a  pilgrim  All  flowers  that  scent 

From  the  Blarney  Stone.  The  sweet  open  air. 

But  rich  as  this  whole  district  is  in  scenery  and  historic  sites,  we  can  not  extend  our 
consideration  of  them.  Only  a  passing  mention  can  be  made  of  the  western  part  of 
County  Cork.  Those  who  can  make  time  and  opportunity  should  certainly  visit  Kinsale. 
Bandon,  Clonakilty,  Dunmanway,  and  Skibbereen. 


GLENGAMFF. 


CHAPTER  V. 


Glengariff,   Killarney,  and  Valevtia. 


PHERE  are  three  main  routes  from  Cork  to  Killarney.  The  tamest  is  by  rail  via 
*  Mallow  ;  the  most  adventurous  is  by  rail  to  Macroom,  and  thence  to  Killarney  by 
the  North  Road,  as  it  is  called,  one  of  the  finest  drives  in  southwestern  Ireland,  running 
through  the  country  of  the  MacCarthys,  with  their  ruined  castles,  and  enabling  the 
traveler  to  see  Gougane  Barra  and  the  Pass  of  the  Deer.  The  former  is  a  lonely  lake, 
lying  embosomed  in  a  great  hollow  formed  by  the  mountains,  which  tower  in  parts 
almost  perpendicularly  above  it.  In  the  center  of  the  lake  is  an  islet  sacred  to  St.  Finn 
Bar,  which  was  for  ages  the  object  of  special  pilgrimages.  The  scenery  here,  for  wild 
magnificence  and  power  to  touch  the  imagination,  can  hold  its  own  with  any  in  this 
region — so  full  of  grand  mountain  and  lake  solitudes.  The  Pass  of  the  Deer  is  a  deep 
mountain  cleft  about  two  miles  in  length,  "  the  most  sternly  grand  defile  in  Ireland,  a 
scene  of  utter  loneliness,  where  no  song  of  bird  or  hum  of  bee  breaks  the  monotonous 
stillness,  save  where  the  ripple  of  numerous  sparkling  rills  course  down  the  side  of  the 
acclivities.  There  are  immense  masses  of  rock  seemingly  poised  in  the  air,  almost 
perpendicularly   on  either  side,  clothed  with    stunted    arbutus,  rowan-tree,  yew,  and 


►3 
W 
W 

a 

+0 

3 


H 
O 


GLEXGARIFF,  KILLARNEY,  AND   VALEXTIA. 

holly,  while  huge  projecting-  cliffs  ever  and  anon  seem  threatening  to  bar  the  visitor's 
progress."  Hire  the  outlawed  O'Sullivans  and  O'Learys  long  defied  the  Government, 
and  in  1S22  the  adherents  of  Captain  Rock  for  a  long  time  held  possession  of  the  pass, 
until  dislodged  by  Lord  Bantry  and  the  military.  It  is  a  district  well  adapted  for  law- 
lessness of  this  kind. 

But  the  popular  route  is  by  the  way  of  Bantry  and  Glengariff.  This  takes  the  trav- 
eler along  one  of  the  roads  in  Ireland  most  frequented,  at  least  in  the  tourist  season; 
but  it  also  has  compensations,  inasmuch  as  it  offers  some  most  magnificent  drives,  and 
at  the  chief  stopping-points  some  of  the  very  best  hotels  in  Ireland  are  to  be  found.  A 
short  but  pleasant  railway  journey  from  Cork  enables  the  visitor  to  see  the  pretty  coun- 
try on  the  road  to  Bandon,  to  catch  a  passing  glimpse  of  that  well-situated  town,  to  see 
something  of  the  wildest  parts  of  County  Cork,  and  finally  brings  him  to  Bantry,  at  the 
head  of  the  famous  bay  of  the  same  name.  Here,  if  disposed  to  stop,  he  will  find  very 
comfortable  accommodation,  and,  although  the  little  town  presents  an  ancient  appear- 
ance and  has  a  fishlike  odor,  there  is  nothing-  in  it  that  need  detain  him  lone.  But  with 
the  drive  to  Glengariff  the  beauties  of  this  region  begin  to  reveal  themselves.  The 
road  winds  along  the  northeastern  shores  of  Bantry  Bay,  which  are  somewhat  hilly, 
affording  consequently  beautiful  and  ever-varying  views.  Whether  the  drive  be  taken 
in  the  full  light  of  the  midday  sun  or  when  the  softer  lights  and  the  shadows  of  evening 
are  over  the  landscape,  it  will  linger  long  in  the  memory.  The  noble  expanse  of 
the  bay,  the  lofty  peaks  of  the  Sugar  Loaf  and  other  distant  mountains,  the  fine  bold 
rock  contours,  the  little  streams  that  ripple  down  from  the  surrounding  mountains,  the 
splendid  colorings  of  sea  and  sky  and  rock  and  heath,  all  combine  to  heighten  the 
enjoyment  of  the  traveler.  Especially  fine  are  the  views  when  the  approach  of  evening 
tends  to  deepen  the  shadows  and  to  robe  the  more  distant  prospects  in  a  lovely  purple 
haze. 

Eloquent  descriptions  of  Glengariff  abound,  sometimes  accurate  and  adequate, 
sometimes  charged  with  a  pardonable  exaggeration.  But  the  perusal  of  these  tends  to 
form  untrue  or  disproportionate  ideas  of  this  celebrated  glen.  Perhaps  the  ideal  course 
would  be  to  go  and  see  the  spot,  and  then  read  the  descriptions.  Glengariff  is  emphat- 
ically a  place  where  the  eye  sees  what  it  is  capable  of  seeing,  and  the  impression 
received  will  vary  here,  more  than  in  most  places,  according  to  one's  taste.  Those 
who  love  the  combination  of  bold  rocks  with  lovely  dells  whose  sides  are  fringed  with 
beautiful  trees,  and  through  which  musically  murmuring  streams  run  down  to  the  sea  ; 
those  who  rejoice  in  the  fresh,  blue,  health-giving  ocean,  and  who  yet  love  to  look  upon 
it  in  its  gentler  and  softer  moods ;  those  who  like  when  taking  a  holiday  to  exchange  the 
rush  and  struggle  and  selfishness  of  modern  metropolitan  life  for  the  peaceful  country, 
far  removed  from  the  roar  of  business  and  the  fierceness  of  modern  competition, and  yet 
sufficiently  in  touch  with  the  outer  world  to  avoid  all  traces  of  stagnation,  these  can 
hardly  do  better  than  select  Glengariff  as  a  place  of  resort.  The  modern  tourist 
loves  his  comforts,  and  these  he  can  have  in  the  hotels.  Be  he  pedestrian,  or  cyclist,  or 
fisherman,  or  sketcher,  or  lover  of  boating  and  driving,  here  can  he  indulge  to  the  full 
his  favorite  recreation.  And  he  can  at  the  same  time  breathe  some  of  the  purest  air 
and  rejoice  in  the  marvelous  wealth  of  rich  and  lovely  scenery  with  which  the  benefi- 
cent Creator  has  gladdened  this  part  of  the  land. 

The  name  Glengariff  means  "The  rugged  glen."     It  includes  the  harbor  formed  by 

95 


IRELAND   ILLUSTRATED. 


the    innermost    recess  of  Bantry 
Bay,  and  the  valley  through  which 
flows  the   Glengariff  River,  in  its 
descent  from  Eagle's  Nest  Mount- 
ain to  the  sea.     The  bay  is  dotted 
with  air  re  number  of  tiny  islets.     The  river  rushes  head- 
long clown  from    its  source,  reaching  its  highest    point    of 
beauty,  perhaps,  at  the  old  ruined  arches  of  what  is  known 
as    Cromwell's    Bridge.       The  temperature  in  this  favored 
glen  varies  within  narrow  limits,  the  vegetation    is  rich,  the 
arbutus,  the  rowan-tree,  the  holly,  azaleas,  rhododendrons, 
and  hvdrangeas  all  flourish  here,  and  its  wonderful  combi- 
nation of  beauties  and  advantages  makes  it  a  notable  place 
of  rest  for  the  overworked  and  weary,  and  a  choice  winter- 
ing-place for  the  delicate. 

But  most  who  visit  this  earthly  paradise,  like  ourselves, 
however  fain  to  linger,  have  to  hasten  on  to  other  scenes. 
Glengariff  to  Gougane  Barra,  and  thence  to  Killarney  ; 
go  by  the  main  road  to  Kenmare.  This  is  as  fine  a 
drive  as  any  tourist  need  wish  to  enjoy.  The  road  runs  through  the  village,  and  then 
for  a  short  distance  along  the  left  bank  of  the  Glengariff  River,  and  finally  begins 
to  wind  ever  higher  and  higher  up  the  valley  of  a  small  tributary  of  the  Glengariff  River, 
which  it  finally  crosses,  and  winds  around  a  bold,  steep  hill  at  a  height  of  nearly  eight 
hundred  feet  above  the  sea.  From  this  point  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  greater  part 
of  Bantry  Bay  is  obtained.     It  then  turns  sharply  to  the   north,  rising  still  higher  and 

penetrating  into  ever  wilder  mountain   scenery,  until  a  peak  known  as  Turner's  Rock, 
96" 


M  GILLICUDDY  REEKS. 

There    is     a    road    from 
but    the     vast     majority 


GLENGARIFF,  KTLLARNEF,  AND   VALENTIA. 

over  1,300  feet  above  the  sea,  is  reached  This  is  pierced  by  a  fine  tunnel,  and  as  the  car 
passes  out  of  the  Ion-- and  somewhat  gloomy  p  issa  jea  superb  \  iew  greets  him.  Stretched 
out  before  him,  but  mainly  to  his  left  hand,  arc  the  fine  multitudinous  peaks  of  Ireland's 
greatest  mountain  chain,  the  McGillicuddy  Recks.       Seen  early  in  the  year,  say  in  April, 

thc_\-  are  often  covered  with  snow,  and  present  a  most  beautiful  appearance.  Seen  under 
an\-  circumstances  with  the  essential  element  of  a  tolerably  clear  atmosphere,  their  wild 
forms,  their  great  extent,  their  fine  configurations,  rejoice  the  heart  within  the  lover  of 
natural  beauty.  The  road  climbs  for  a  time  along  the  steep  side  of  one  of  these  huge 
mountain  masses,  and  gradually  descends,  crosses  the  river,  and  finally  runs  for  miles  along 
the  left  bank  of  the  Sheen.  The  scenery  gets  softer  as  one  approaches  Kenmare.  The 
Sheen  finally  empties  into  the  Sound,  the  inner  part  of  Kenmare  Bay,  and  about  a  mile 
below  the  mouth  of  the  Sheen  a  fine  suspension  bridge  has  been  thrown  across  Kenmare 
Bay, -over  which  passes  the  road. 

Kenmare  is  quite  a  recent  town  compared  with  some  of  its  neighbors,  having  been 
founded  as  a  colony  in  1670  by  Sir  William  Petty,  the  ancestor  of  the  present  Lansdowne 
family.  There  is  little  in  it  to  detain  the  visitor,  unless  he  intends  to  explore  the  fine 
mountainous  country  round  about,  in  which  case  it  becomes  a  very  convenient  headquar- 
ters. For  most  the  hour  or  two  of  waiting  for  the  mail-cart,  or  securino-  a  fresh  horse 
and  car,  is  sufficient  ;  and  after  a  brief  stay  the  journey  to  Killarney  is  beo-un. 

Kenmare  is  nearly  on  the  sea-level,  and  the  road  soon  begins  to  ascend.  It  winds 
along  the  base  of  the  mountains,  rising  higher  and  higher,  until  it  crosses  the  top  of 
Windy  Pass,  at  an  elevation  of  about  one  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  It  then  skirts 
the  slopes  high  above  the  Dwenregh  River,  runs  by  the  northern  margin  of  Looscau- 
nagh  Lough,  skirts  the  base  of  a  small  mountain,  and  then  affords  the  traveler  what  is 
considered  to  be,  and  justly  so,  the  very  finest  view  of  the  Killarney  Lakes  in  all  their 
variety  and  extent.  From  this  point,  until  Killarney  is  reached,  wherever  the  eye  turns 
it  meets  fine  peaks,  waters  gleaming  in  the  sunshine,  enticing  glens  that  look  as  if 
specially  created  to  afford  picnic  facilities,  and  the  ever-changing  expressions  of  natural 
beauty  which,  if  not  unrivaled,  are  worthy  of  the  highest  praise,  and  capable  of  affording 
very  pure  pleasure. 

And  here  again  it  should  be  noted  that  Killarney  suffers  from  its  friends.  Some  of 
these,  not  content  to  allow  its  claims  to  rest  upon  the  evidence  of  a  very  hio-h  type  of 
beauty,  make  monstrous  claims,  and  give  high-flown  descriptions,  which  only  tend  to 
irritate  and  to  provoke  unjust  comparisons.  Killarney,  in  the  writer's  judgment,  is  quite 
capable  of  holding  its  rank  among  the  districts  of  exceptional  natural  beauty;  but  for  its 
admirers  to  expect  those  who  visit  it  to  admit  that  it  stands  without  a  rival,  can  only- 
lead  to  vexation  of  spirit. 

Arrived  at  Killarney,  the  first  task  is  to  see  it.  At  present  the  arrangements  for 
doing  this  are  not  so  convenient  as  they  might  be.  Those  who  come  by  the  Kenmare 
Road  get  a  succession  of  lovely  distant  views,  and  those  whose  purses  admit  of  a 
sojourn  at  the  Lake  or  the  Royal  Victoria  Hotels  have  no  reason  to  complain  ;  but  for 
all  others,  to  get  anything  like  a  view  of  the  lakes  is  a  task  involving  the  expenditure 
of  time,  exertion,  and  money.  The  domain  of  the  Earl  of  Kenmare  lies  between  Louo-h 
Leane  and  the  town,  and  around  this  a  lofty  wall  has  been  constructed,  with  the  result 
that  it  prevents  any  view  whatsoever,  unless  the  visitor  proceeds  to  some  such  recog- 
nized point  of  vantage  as  Ross  Castle.     It  is  the  same  on  the  road  to  Muckross  Abbey. 

97 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

In  fact,  it  is  possible,  or,  rather,  as  there  is  no  choice  in  the  matter,  it  is  compul- 
sory, on  all  who  wish  to  travel  the  six  miles  of  road  between  Muckross  Abbey 
and  Lake-View  House,  to  journey  by  a  road  on  one  side  of  which  the  way  presents  the 
unvarying  monotony  of  a  blank  stone  wall.  The  patient  endurance  of  those  who  thus 
journey  is  nut  strengthened  by  the  recollection  that  on  the  other  side  of  the  wall  are 
some  of  the  best  views  in  what  is  considered  to  be  the  loveliest  region  in  Ireland. 

Killarney  is  a  district,  rather  than  a  town.  There  is  indeed  a  cluster  of  streets, 
lined  for  the  most  part  by  very  unattractive  houses  and  shops,  and  not  at  all  remarkable 
for  neatness.      These  constitute  the  town,  but  no  visitor  is  likely  to  wish  to  linger  here. 


ROSS   CASTLE,    KILLARNEY. 

The  country  to  the  south  and  west  abounds  in  peaks  that  may  be  ascended,  mountain 
loughs  about  which  linger  grim  legends,  waterfalls  and  cascades,  passes  and  glens,  trips 
by  car  or  by  boat,— in  fact,  scenery  the  chief  beauties  of  which  can  be  exhausted  in  two 
days,  or  which  can  afford  the  careful  explorer  pleasant  tasks  for  weeks. 

The  most  comprehensive  excursion  is  to  the  Gap  of  Dunloe  and  back  by  way  of  the 
lakes.  For  this  a  whole  day  is  needed,  and  the  earlier  the  start  the  better.  A  good 
pedestrian  can  walk  it,  but  the  pleasantest  way  is  to  take  a  car  to  the  foot  of  the  Gap;  by 
this  means  the  five  miles  of  wall  are  passed  quickly,  and  the  wayfarer  is  fresh  for  the  walk 
through  the  Gap,  and  any  excursion  that  may  seem  desirable,  say  the  ascent  of  Purple 
Mountain  or  a  stroll  up  the  Black  Valley.  By  this  route  the  Killorglin  Read  is  taken,  and 
98 


GLENGARIFF,  KILLARNEV,  AXD   VALENTIA. 

on  the  right  hand,  two  or  three  miles  out  of  the  town,  the  ruins  of  Aghadoe  church  and 
round-tower  are  passed.  About  two  miles  or  so  away  from  the  mouth  of  the  Gap  the  first 
experience  of  the  great  Killarney  nuisance  is  encountered.  Not  far  from  Aghadoe  the  road 
forks,  and  here,  on  the  alert  to  catch  their  victims  early,  an-  stationed  a  collection  of  the  Kil- 
larney beggars,  misnamed  guides.  They  are  mountedon  ponies,  and  their  object  is  to  suc- 
ceed in  getting  these  taken  for  the  ride  up  the  pass.  There  is  no  escape  from  them,  and 
even  the  plan  of  engaging  one  for  the  purpose  of  stalling  off  the  others  is  defeated  by  the 
additional  swarms  that  are  encountered  in  the  pass.  The  best  plan  is  to  say  little  or  no- 
thing, to  buy  nothing, and,  above  all,  to  drink  none  of  the  various  mixtures  that  are  offered 
every  few  hundred  yards  along  the  route.1  It  is  really  intolerable  that  these  hordes  of 
beggars  should  be  allowed  thus  to  detract  from  the  enjoyment  of  a  very  lovely  district. 
But  as  things  are,  there  seems  to  be  no  remedy.  One  is  inclined  to  hold  that  if  the 
advocates  of  home-rule  could  make  it  evident  that  their  panacea  would  banish  the  beggars, 
not  only  from  the  Gap,  but  from  all  the  other  lovely  parts  of  the  kingdom,  they  would 
at  once  secure  the  sympathy  of  all  travelers.  These  would  consent  to  a  good  deal  in 
order  to  secure  the  disappearance  of  the  men  and  boys  who  offer  ponies  for  hire,  who 
bring  cornets  to  wake  the  echoes,  and  who  wish  to  fire  off  cannons  that  look  admirably 
adapted  to  destroy  the  individual  bold  enough  to  fire  them, — together  with  the  girls  who 
offer  for  sale  woolen  socks  and  potheen  and  milk,  the  whole  tribe  of  Kate  Kearney's 
descendants  who  sell  deplorable  photographs  of  themselves  and  the  huts  in  which  they 
live,  and  the  miscellaneous  crew  who  look  upon  every  visitor  as  the  possibility  of  a 
copper  or  a  sixpence. 

The  Gap  of  Dunloe  is  a  pass  between  the  Toomies  and  the  McGillicuddy  Reeks,  up 
which  any  but  the  feeblest  walkers  can  go  with  the  utmost  ease,  from  the  point  where 
the  cars  always  stop.  The  River  Loe  traverses  the  Gap,  expanding  at  intervals  into 
five  lakes.  A  good  road  winds  up  the  valley,  crossing  the  stream  by  bridges  in  two  places. 
The  mountains  rise  very  steeply  to  a  height  of  over  two  thousand  feet,  and  the  scenery  is 
very  wild.  The  narrowness  of  the  defile,  combined  with  the  height  of  the  mountains, 
gives  it  a  somber  and  awe-inspiring  influence.  At  one  point  the  ravine  narrows,  and  a 
huge  mass  of  rock  has  fallen  and  split  into  two  irregular  portions.  The  road  runs  be- 
tween these  enormous  stones,  which  have  the  semblance  of  a  rude  gateway.  The  spot 
is  known  as  The  Pike.  The  impression  of  wildness  and  desolation  is  considerably 
weakened,  not  only  by  the  troops  of  beggars,  but  more  legitimately  by  the  number  of 
little  farms  in  the  valley,  and  by  the  numerous  traces  of  fairly  prosperous  agriculture. 
As  the  ascent  is  made,  very  good  views  to  the  north  are  obtained,  but  by  far  the  finest 
is  enjoyed  when  the  summit  of  the  pass  is  reached,  and  the  traveler  stands  with  the 
beautiful  Owenreach  Valley  at  his  feet,  the  many-islanded  Upper  Lake  to  his  left,  the 
Kenmare  Road  and  the  Police  Barracks  directly  opposite,  and  the  Black  Valley  to  the 
right,  over  which  tower  the  rugged  pinnacles  of  the  Reeks.  Occasionally  one  meets 
with  absurdly  over-drawn  descriptions  of  this  Black  Valley.  When  the  writer  saw  it, 
under  a  bright  April  sun,  it  failed  signally  to  harmonize  with  its  name,  since  it  lay 
smilingly  at  his  feet,  looking  most  attractive  in  its  beauty. 

By  an  easy  road  the  descent  into  the  valley  is  made,  Lord  Brandon's  cottage  is 
passed, — a  toll  of  one  shilling  being  levied  on  every  visitor, — and  then  the  boat  is  taken 

'  My  companion,   though   a  D.D.,  pretended  to  be  deaf  and  gravely  marched  on  in  silence,  simply  raising  his  forefinger  lo  !  ;s 
«ar.     He  thus  escaped  the  importunities  of  these  beggars. — Ed. 

°9 


IRELAND  ILL'  S    RATED. 


THE    PIKE. 


for  the  row  down  to    Ross    Island. 

This  is  certainly  not  less  enjoyable 

than  the  earlier  half  of  the  excursion.       If  any 

part  of  Killarney  deserves  the  palm,  it  is  this 

row  along  the  placid  waters  of  the  Upper  Lake, 

in  and  out  among  its    many  rocky    islets,  and 

down    the    Long    Range    which  connects  the 

Upper  and  Middle  lakes.       To  the  south  rise 

Cromaglan  and  Tore  mountains, to  the  north  the  spurs  of  Purple  Mountain  and  the  Eagle's 

Nest.      The  views  are  extremely  beautiful,  and  there  is  a  marvelous  variety  of  coloring 

and  of  contour.     The  boatmen,  in  their  well-meant  efforts  to  amuse,  talk  a  considerable 

amount   of  arrant  nonsense  about  the  uses  to  which  the  ever-present  O'Donoghue  puts 

the   many  strangely  shaped   rocks  which   abound  on  every  hand.      The  most  effective 

view  of  all  is  where  the   boat,  following,  as  it  must,  the  windings  of  the  stream,  passes 

immediately  beneath   the  loftiest  part   of  the   Eagle's    Nest.      This  mountain,  like  its 


GLENGARIFF,  KILLARXEV  AXI)  VALENTIA, 

neighbors,  is  clad  for  some   hundreds  of  feet  above  the  water-level  with  arbutus,  ash, 
oak,  holly,  and  other  trees.     Among  other  charms,  this  spot  possesses  a  fine  echo. 

Soon  after  passing  this  point  the  great  excitement  of  shooting  the  rapid  at  the  Old 
Weir  Bridge  occurs.  There  is  just  sufficient  fall  to  impart  a  somewhat  lively  motion  to 
the  boat,  and  the  distance  is  so  short  that,  almo:  ou  are  aware  the  descent  has 

begun,  it  is  over.     Under  exceptional  circumstances,  with  the  water  unusually  high,  it  is 
conceivable  that  the  pas  oil  lb     atl       led  with  some  risk.     Of  course  none  but 

those  well  acquainted  with  the  peculiarities  of  the  place  should  attempt   to  take  a  boat 
down. 

After  shooting  the  bridge  the  boat  glides  into  a  most  lovely  part,  the  Meeting  of 
the  Waters,  and  the  shore  of  !  >inis  Island,  which  divides  the  stream,  one  portion  of  the 


THE    EAGLE  S    NEST,     KILLAKNEY. 


waters  flowing  out  into  the  Middle  or  Tore  Lake,  the  other  passing  on  to  Lough 
Leane. 

Dinis  Island  is  delightful,  and  any  who  have  neither  time  nor  inclination  for  the 
longer  trips  will  find  this  part  most  accessible,  and  equal  in  beauty  to  any  in  the  whole 
range  of  the  Killarney  lakes. 

Passing  under  Brickeen  Bridge,  having  tarried  for  a  moment  to  gather  a  sprig  or  two 
of  arbutus,  the  boat  shoots  out  upon  the  wide  waters  of  the  Lower  Lake.  This  is  5,ooo 
acres  in  extent,  being  about  five  miles  long  by  two  wide.  When  it  is  breezy,  as  the 
writer  tested  by  experience,  the  waves  can  rise,  and  the  rowers  need  to  bend  their  backs 
to  the  oars  to  uree  their  craft  across  to  Innisfallen  and  then  on  to  Ross  Island.  The 
former,  twenty-one  acres  in  extent,  is  the  gem  of  Lough  Leane.     It  is  lovely  as  regards 


IRELAND   ILL USTRA  TED. 

its  scenery,  and  it  is  venerable  by  reason  of  past  associations.  Here,  in  the  seventh 
century,  St.  Finian  founded  a  monastery,  of  which  some  traces  have  come  down  to  us  ; 
and  here  one  of  the  famous  early  records  of  Irish  history,  the  Annals  of  Innisfallen,  were 
penned.  At  Ross  Castle  we  land.1  On  the  mainland,  opposite  the  Tomies'  side  of 
Innisfallen,  is  O'Sullivan's  Cascade,  which  consists  of  three  distinct  falls,  one  of  the 
favorite  shorter  excursions.     At  the  southeastern  end  of   Lough  Leane  is  the   ruined 


THE    OLD    WEIR   BRIDGE,  KILLABNEY. 


Muckross  Abbey.  It  was  founded,  according  to  Ware,  by  Donald  MacCarthy  about 
1440;  but  the  Annals  of  the  Four  Masters  record  that  it  dates  from  1340;  there  is 
some  evidence  that  the  building  was  begun  by  Teige,  and  finished  in  1440  by  his  son 
Donald.     It  was  restored,   as  an  in  cription    on    the   north   side  of  the  choir  states,  in 


•  This  was  the  home  of  the  O'Don  ighues,  five  hundred  rears  ago.     Lvery   seven  years,  it  is  said.   <ne  of  the  chiefs  return  to 
earth  and  drives  his  milk-white  steeds  arms    ihe  lake  at  sunrise.      His  castle  is  restored  bv  enchantment  tV  moment  the  sun  appears 
above  the  horizon. — Thwing's  Outdoor  Life  in  Europe. 
102 


QLENGARIFF,  K1LLARXEV,  AM)   VALEXTIA. 

1626.  "The  church  consists  of  a  nave,  and  choir,  parated  by  a  belfry  of  small  pro- 
portions, and  only  calculated  to  hold  a  single  bell.  This  belfry  is  pierced  by  a  nar- 
row arch,  which  connects  the  nave  and  ch<  ir.  On  thesouth  side  of  the  nave  there  is 
&  small  chapel  or  transept,  with  which  it  is  connected   by  a  large  archway;   and  on 


INXISFAIXEN,    KILLAIiNEY. 

the  north  side  a  small  doorway  leads  into  the  cloisters,  which  is  the  most  perfect  and 
interesting  portion  of  the  building.  It  is  a  square  of  twelve  yards,  encompassed  by 
an  arcade  lighting  the  surrounding  corridor,  which  is  about  five  feet  in  length.  The 
arcade  consists  of  ten  semicircular  arches  in  its  north  and  east  sides,  and  twelve 
pointed  ones  on  the    south  and  west.     The  pillars  and   moldings  are  of  gray  marble. 

i°3 


IRELAND  1LLUSTRA  TED. 


The  effect  of  these  cloisters  is  rendered  singularly  solemn  and  imposing  by  a  venerable 
and  majestic  yew-tree,  which  rises  like  a  stately  column  from  the  center  of  the 
inclosure,  and  which,  from  the  density  of  the  dark  green  foliage  of  its  spreading  branches, 
permits  but  a  '  dim,  religious  light'  to  penetrate  the  area.  The  stem  of  this  remarkable 
tree,  which  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt,  is  coeval  with  the  abbey,  is  upward  of  twelve 
feet   in   height,  and  about  six  feet  six  inches  in  circumference. 

"The  vault  of  the  MacCarthy  Mores  is  placed  in  the  center  of  the  choir,  and  is 
marked  by  a  Mat  stone,  level  with  the  floor,  on  which  the  coronet  and  arms  of  the  Earl 
of  Glencare  are  rudely   sculptured ;    a  more   stately   monument,  as  represented    in  the 

illustration,  marks  the  grave  of  O'Don- 
oghue  of  the  Glens,  who  died  in  1808, 
and  is  buried  in  the  same  vault."1 

Hard  by  Muckross  Abbey  the  road 
to  Mangerton,  the  loftiest  mountain  near 
Killarney,  2,576  feet  high,  turns  off  from 
the  Kenmare  Road.  It  is  a  very  easy 
ascent,  and  the  view  "is  superb,  em- 
bracing in  the  east  Crohane.  the  Paps, 
Cahirbarnagh,  and  all  that  extensive 
country  lying  between  Millstreet,  Mal- 
low, and  Tipperary,  with  the  blue  range 
of  the  Galtys  in  the  far  distance.  North- 
ward and  to  the  west  is  Tralee,  with  the 
Slievemish  Mountains  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Dingle  and  Ventry,  while  a  faint 
white  line  in  the  horizon  marks  the  north 
estuary  of  the  Shannon  as  it  flows  past 
Tarbertand  Kilrush.  Due  west  are  the 
Tore,  the  Purple  Mountain,  and  the 
Reeks,  with  Castlemaine  Haven  and  the 
Laune  running  at  their  feet ;  to  the 
south  is  an  immense  sea  of  hills  occupy- 
ing the  district  toward  Kenmare.  The 
Bays  of  Kenmare  and  Bantry  are  promi- 
nent objects  in  this  view — a  view  which 
can  never  be  blotted  out  from  memory. 
At  the  foot  lie  the  Lakes  of  Killarney 
in  all  their  beauty,  with  the  thick  wood  and  groves  encircling  their  shores."  2 

At  a  steep  part  of  the  ascent,  about  three  quarters  of  the  way  up,  is  a  depression  in 
the  mountain,  from  which  the  cliffs  rise  up  steeply,  and  occupied  by  a  tarn.  This 
depression  is  known  as  the  Devil's  Punch-Bowl,  and  from  it  descends  one  of  the 
streams  which  form  the  Tore  Waterfall.  This  is  a  fine  fall,  some  sixty  feet  in  height, 
situated  in  a  ravine  called  Owengariff.  It  is  most  easily  reached  from  Killarney  by  the 
Kenmare  Road. 

Having   enjoyed   the   lovely  scenery  of  Killarney,  no   traveler  who  can  spare  the 

1  Dublin  Penny  Journal,  vol.  I,  p.  410.  5  Murray's  [landbcok  for  Ireland,  p.  317. 

104 


THE  CHOIR  OF  MUCKROSS  ABBEY. 


TOKC  WATER  FALL,  EILLAKNEY. 


GLEXGARIFF,  KILLARXEV,  AXD   VALENTIA. 


time  should  fail  to  visit  Valentia.  By  this  trip  some  of  the  most  interesting  and  charac- 
teristic portions  of  Kerry  arc  to  be  s&  n,  notably  what  is  known  as  the  Mountain  Drive, 
along  the  southern  shores  of  Dingle  Bay,  Glenbeagh,  late  of  eviction  notoriety,  Valen- 
tia Island,  and,  above  all,  the  coast,  with  its  islands,  pre-eminent  among  these  being 
the  Skelligs.  It  is  possible  to  go  from  Killarney  to  Killorglin  by  train,  and  thence  by 
omnibus  or  car  to  Cahirsiveen.  But  the  best  way  for  any  one  who  wishes  to  see  typi- 
cal men  and  things  is  to  go  by  mail-car.  In  many  parts  of  Ireland  these  most  con- 
venient conveyances  run.  They  are  not  luxurious,  their  cushions  are  often  hard  and 
well- worn  ;  they  are  not  unfrequcntly  heavily  laden  with  parcel-post  impedimenta  and 
other  mail  baggage.  He  who  travels  by  them  must  be  prepared  to  rough  it  a  little, 
and  to  be  considered  possibly  a  trifle  plebeian  in  his  tastes.  But  for  all  these  things 
there  are  ample  compensa- 
tions. They  are  fast  and 
they  are  cheap.  Each  car 
has  a  driver  thoroughly  fa- 
miliar with  the  country  he 
traverses,  and  almost  invari- 
ably civil,  obliging,  and  com- 
municative. The  passengers 
are  generally  peasants,  and 
all  along  the  route  little  in- 
cidents happen,  slight  in 
themselves,  but  of  peculiar 
interest  oftentimes  to  the 
observant  traveler,  because 
they  enable  him  to  see  the 
people  as  they  are  in  them- 
selves, and  while  engaged  in 
their  daily  vocations.  Just 
as  the  ordinary  Norwegian 
steamer  is  a  better  convey- 
ance for  those  who  wish  to 
study  that  interesting  people 

than  the  special  tourist  vessels  that  run  to  the  North  Cape,  so  the  mail-car  gives  many 
a  trait,  life-study,  amusing  incident,  or  friendly  chat  utterly  unknown  to  those  who 
journey  in    Ireland  only  by  special  car  or  by  tourist-crowded  coach  or  omnibus. 

But  he  who  goes  from  Killarn  y  to  Valentia  by  mail-car  has  to  get  up  at  5.30  a.  m. 
This  particular  route  is  traveled  daily  by  a  car,  with  two  horses,  carrying  about  a  dozen 
passengers  and  a  heavy  load  of  mail.  The  first  stage  is  to  Killorglin,  about  thirteen 
miles.  After  the  northern  end  of  Lough  Leane  has  been  passed,  the  Reeks  present  a 
series  of  exceedingly  fine  mountain  views.  From  a  broad  expanse  of  morass  and  bog 
they  rise  rapidly  and  boldly,  the  lower  slopes  being  rounded  and  massive,  but  the  upper 
peaks  exhibiting  a  series  of  wild  and  craggy  pinnacles.  Killorglin  has  nothing  attract- 
ive about  it,  except  its  fine  situation  above  the  Laune,  which  is  here  crossed  by  abridge 
leading  to  Milltown  and  Castlemaine.  Beyond  Killorglin  the  road  rises  by  a  long  ascent, 
which  gradually  brings  into  view  Dingle   Bay  and  the   range   of  hills  along  its  northern 

1^7 


A   KERRY   CABIN   AND   IIS    INHABITANTS. 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 


VALENTIA. 

shore.  Six  miles  on  a  steep 
descent,  along  the  valley  of 
the  Carag-h,  leads  to  Cara^h 
Bridge,  which  crosses  a  wild 
mountain  stream  rushing 
down  from  Lough  Caragh. 
The  district  does  not  belie 
its  appearance;  it  is  a  noted 
spot  for  salmon  and  trout 
fishing.        Passing     through 

Glenbeagh,  the  road  gradually  ascends,  and,  on  turning  the  shoulder  of  a  hill,  a  splendid 
view  of  Dingle  Bay  is  obtained,  and  for  miles  the  car  runs  along  the  face  of  the  slope 
high  above  the  seadevel.  The  mountains  of  Clare  on  the  farther  shore  of  the  bay  are 
all  in  full  view.  Perhaps  the  chief  drawback  is  the  singular  absence  of  shipping, 
hardly  a  fishing-boat  even  being  in  sight.  Leaving  the  sea,  a  broad  valley  is  trav- 
ersed, with  mountains  on  either  side,  and,  crossing  Carhan  Bridge,  Cahirsiveen  comes 
into  view.  Close  to  the  bridge  is  a  ruined  house,  of  which  part  of  the  walls,  overgrown 
with  ivy,  remain.  Here  the  renowned  Daniel  O'Connell  was  born.  Cahirsiveen  is  a  poor 
but  apparently  thriving  little  town.  It  lies  embosomed  in  a  bold  mountainous  country' 
It  is  thirty-eight  miles  from  Killarney,  and  few  mail-car  rides  in  Ireland  so  well  repay  the 
fatigue  involved  in  their  accomplishment. 

Valentia  Island,  or  rather  the  ferry,  is  three  miles  beyond  Cahirsiveen.  The  island 
is  separated  from  the  mainland  by  a  strait  half  a  mile  broad.  The  engraving  gives  two 
views.  In  the  circle  is  depicted  the  view  from  Valentia  pier  ;  it  is  identical  with  that 
obtained  from  the  windows  of  the  hotel,  which  is  so  placed  as  to  face  the  pier.  In  the 
extreme  right  is  seen  the  house  on  the  mainland  from  which  the  ferry-boat  starts.  The 
other  picture  represents  Knights  Town  as  seen  by  the  wayfarer  about  to  make  the  pass- 
age. The  broad  strait  forming  Valentia  Harbor,  the  mountain,  the  many  tones  of  brown 
1 08 


GLENGARIFF,    KILLARNEYi  AXD    VALENTIA, 


on  the  hills,  the  clear  sky,  the  fine  colors  of  the  water,  combine  to  make  this  a  scene 
upon  which  the  eye  lingers  with  delight.      In  the  extreme  left  of  the  larger  engraving  a 
little  cluster  of  houses  is  shown.    This  is  the  headquarters  of  the  celebrated  Atlantic  Tele- 
graph Company.     The  second  building  from  the   left  is  the  house  in  which  the  instru- 
ments  are  kept  busy  day  and   night   constantly   receiving  and  transmitting  messages 
across  the  Atlantic.    The  company  now  possesses  three  cables,  one  of  which  is  in  diiect 
communication  with  Embden,   north  German)-,  by  which  continental  messages  are  sent 
direct,  via  Newfoundland  and  Cape  Breton,  to  New  York.     The  public  are  admitted  at 
stated  hours,   but  the   writer,  by  courtesy  of  the  secretary  of  the  London  office,  was 
allowed  to  inspect  the  premises  during  the   busiest  part  of  the  d-ay.     The  instruments 
occupy  two  rooms.     In  one  the  oper- 
ators are  engaged  with  the  Embden 
cable,  some  transmitting  messages  to 
America  ;  others  to  various  parts  of 
the  Continent,    via    Embden.       The 
messages    are   expressed  in  all   lan- 
guages, and  in   various  ciphers.     As 
the  operator  reads  the  message  which 
is  being  spelled    out  by  the  instru- 
ment   he    transmits  it  to  Newfound- 
land,  and  this  is   so  promptly  done 
that  the   first  half  of  a    message    is 
across  the  ocean  before  the  other  has 
entirely  left  Germany.    In  the  second 
room    stock-exchange     work,    press 
messages,  and  private  telegrams  are 
coming  and  going.     When  the  writer 
saw    this  room    four  operators  were 
hard    at    work    on    stock-exchange 
messages,  all  in  cipher.      The  super- 
intendent stated  that    a  New   York 
broker  is  apt  to  grow  impatient  if  he 
can  not  get    a    message  through  to 
London   and  a  reply  in  the    course 
of  a  few  minutes!     Competition   has 
so  increased  the  companies  that  the  rates  are  very  low ;  but  the  low  rates  have  not  cor 
respondingly  increased  the  traffic.     Although  three  thousand  messages  pass  through  in 
twenty-four  hours  on  the  average,  this  is  by  no  means  the  maximum  that  could  be  dealt 
with,  and   meanwhile  the  shareholders   of  this   company,  the   pioneers   in  ocean   tele- 
graph work,  have  to  be  content   with  one  per  cent,  dividend.     The  officials  and  clerks 
form  a  little  colony   in  this  extreme  southwestern  nook  of  Ireland. 

The  hotel  at  Knights  Town  is  very  comfortable  and  reasonable,  and  any  visitor 
tired  of  such  frequented  regions  as  Killarney  or  the  Causeway,  wishing  to  spend  a  few 
days  in  some  breezy,  health-giving  resort,  "  far  from  the  madding  crowd,"  might  do 
very  much  worse  than  to  visit  Valentia  Island.     Bathing,  boating,  and  fishing  are  all  to 

be  had.     There  are  plenty  of  short  excursions  ;  and  it  is  not  difficult  to  sail  across  to 

109 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

Dino-le.  Although  it  is  a  somewhat  formidable  trip,  it  is  by  no  means  impossible  to 
get  out  to  the  Great  Skellig,  which  is  by  far  the  most  interesting  island  off  the  Irish  coast. 
The  Skelligs  are  three  rocky  islets  forming  the  most  southwesterly  extensions  of  the 
kino-dom  of  Ireland.  The  strong  light  perched  on  a  ledge  of  the  Great  Skellig,  shining 
out  clear  and  powerful  over  sixteen  or  twenty  miles  of  the  heaving  Atlantic,  is  the  first 
sio-n  of  land  that  the  traveler  from  the  west  sees.  Though  inhabited  now  only  by  the 
lio-htkeepers  and  their  families,  centuries  ago  a  monastery  flourished  there,  and  no  ex- 
tant remains  in  Ireland  enable  us  to  picture  the  old  monastic  life  of  the  early  Irish 
Church  better  than  those  which  still  crown  the  lofty  top  of  the  Great  Skellig. 

It  was  long  the  writer's  desire  to  visit  this  famous  spot,  and  this  desire  was  not 
lessened  by  the  discovery  that  the  trip  was  not  easy  to  accomplish,  for  visitors  here, 
more  than  in  most  spots  along  this  coast,  are  at  the  mercy  of  wind  and  weather.  But 
wind  and  weather  were  in  a  kindly  mood  toward  him  on  the  one  occasion  when 
he  found  himself  at  Valentia  with  a  day  to  spare  ;  and  no  single  day's  excursion  has 
ever  afforded  him  fuller  gratification. 

The  nearest  village  to  the  Skelligs  on  the  mainland  is  Port  Magee,  a  little  fishing- 
station  on  the  strait  separating  the  southern  coast  of  Valentia  Island  from  the  mainland. 
It  is  from  this  place  that,  at  the  time  of  writing  (1888),  the  boat  carrying  supplies  and 
letters  to  the  lighthouse  on  the  rock  [sails  at  irregular  intervals.  It  is  possible  to  ar- 
range for  a  visit  in  this  boat,  but  it  is  more  satisfactory  in  most  cases  to  hire  one 
specially  for  the  excursion.  The  Great  Skellig  is  a  sharp-pointed  mass  of  rock,  rising 
straight  up  from  the  bosom  of  the  Atlantic,  and  situated  about  nine  miles  to  the  south- 
west of  Port  Magee.  It  is  a  most  enjoyable  expedition  for  those  who  are  not  afflicted 
with  nervousness,  and  who  can  sit  for  hours  in  a  small  boat  as  she  rides  upon  the 
mighty  Atlantic  swell,  and  receive  therefrom  nothing  but  benefit  and  enjoyment.  It  is 
emphatically  a  trip  to  be  avoided  by  the  timid,  by  those  subject  to  seasickness,  and, 
unless  under  very  exceptional  circumstances,  by  ladies. 

Perhaps  some  adequate  impression  of  the  interest  of  such  a  trip,  and  of  the  Skelligs 
themselves,  can  best  be  conveyed  to  the  reader  by  describing  the  author's  excursion 
thither.  It  fell  upon  an  April  day,  the  only  one  that  could  be  spared  for  the  adventure. 
On  awaking  at  6.30  a.  m.,  the  eye  was  gladdened  by  the  sight  of  brilliant  sunshine.  A 
jaunting-car  soon  traversed  the  seven  miles  that  intervene  between  Knights  Town  and 
the  ferry  over  against  Port  Magee.  A  very  ancient  mariner  conveys  passengers 
across,  and  then  a  certain  amount  of  bargaining  secured  a  boat  and  a  crew  of  four  fine 
muscular  young  fishermen  for  the  trip  out  and  back  to  the  Skelligs.  The  scale  of  pay- 
ment was  determined  to  some  extent  by  their  assurance  that  it  would  be  necessary  in 
the  state  of  the  wind  and  weather  on  that  particular  day  to  row  probably  the  whole 
way  there,  and  certainly  the  whole  way  back.     And  their  forecast  proved  true. 

And  here  it  may  be  remarked  that  no  one,  from  economical  or  other  reasons,  should 
attempt  this  trip  without  at  least  four  men.  Even  in  the  best  weather  the  landing  upon 
the  rock  is  a  somewhat  delicate  operation,  and  no  boat  should  ever  start  which  is  not  in 
itself  capable  of  standing  very  rough  weather,  and  so  manned  that  if  caught  in  a  breeze 
there  should  be  ample  strength  to  do  all  that  is  needful.  Whether  I  paid  more  or  less 
than  usual  I  am  unable  to  say.  I  hired  the  boat  and  the  four  men  for  the  day  at  a 
charge  of  six  dollars  and  twenty-five  cents,  and  when  they  landed  me  safe  and  sound  in 
the  evening  I  felt  they  had  well  earned  their  money. 


ta 

H 

Q 

W 

CO 

W 
H 


GLEXGARIFF,  KILLARXEV,  AXE)    VALEXTIA. 


We  rowed  away  from  the  tiny  pier  at  Port  Magee  about  10  a.  m.,  and  were  soon  at 
the  mouth  of  the  inlet  upon  which  Port  Magee  is  situated.  There  was  a  slight  breeze 
irom  the  northeast,  the  sun  was  shining,  the  sea  had  a  steel-blue  tint,  the  sky  was  clear, 
and  as  we  drew  near  the  mouth  of  the  inlet  the  first  taste  of  what  was  before  us  came. 
A  broken  ledge  of  rocks  protects  the  mouth  of  the  harbor.  Within,  the  sea  was  almost 
calm,  but  upon  the  ledge  the  Atlantic  was  breaking  with  a  low,  thunderous  roar,  which 
would  not  have  been  pleasing  had  not  the  wild  foam  looked  so  daz/Jingly  white  in  the 
sunshine,  and  so  fascinated  the  eye  with  its  ever-varying  forms  of  beauty  that  delight  in 
the  scene  quite  overpowered  the  nervous  imagination  of  what  might  happen  should  one 
of  those  great  rollers  send  our  light  boat  against  any  of  the  thousand  ugly  pointed  rocks 
so  uncannily  close  to  our  side.  A  few  minutes'  hard  rowing,  and  we  were  out  upon  the 
main.  Turning  a  bold  headland,  we  got  our  first  view  of  the  islets  for  which  we  were 
making.  Away  out  on  the  ocean,  sharply  defined  against  the  horizon,  were  two  huge 
masses  of  rock,  and  most  beautiful 
did  they  appear.  Too  far  away  to 
exhibit  any  of  their  inequalities  of 
outline,  they  rose  up  from  the  sea 
like  pyramids,  and,  enshrouded  in  an 
exquisite  blue  haze,  they  appeared 
like  twin  sapphires.  Seen  from  the 
low  elevation  of  the  boat,  lying  peace- 
full)'  on  the  far  horizon,  slvning  forth 
in  their  sapphire  beauty,  one  could 
easily  feel  and  appreciate  how  the 
Irish  along  this  coast  have  acquired 
and  cling  to  the  belief  that  westward 
are  the  Islands  of  the  Blessed,  the 
land  of  plenty  and  of  peace. 

As  the  land  receded  we  began  to 
get  a  superb  view  of  the  coast,  and 
a    cruel    coast    it    is.       Successively 

Bray  Head,  Puffin  Island,  Bolus  Head,  the  Great  Blasquets,  and  many  another  head- 
land and  islet  came  into  view.  The  cliffs  in  many  parts  rise  from  three  to  six  hun- 
dred feet,  in  some  cases  sheer  from  the  water.  But  weird  and  fantastic  in  form 
as  they  often  are,  wherever  the  eye  lights  one  impression  is  received,  that  of  eternal 
strength.  There  is  nothing  of  the  curious  frayed  appearance  presented  by  the  horizon- 
tal strata  of  the  cliffs  farther  north.  These  rise  up  boldly,  uncompromisingly,  and  you 
feel  as  you  look  upon  them  that  here  is  a  solidity  and  a  strength  upon  which  even  the 
Atlantic  in  its  seasons  of  wildest  fury  can  make  no  impression.  It  is  in  vain  that  his 
hugest  billows  dash  against  these  tremendous  barriers.  In  the  conflict,  ceaseless  yet 
fruitless,  all  softness  has  disappeared.  They  present  a  stern  gray  front,  and  in  their 
quiet  yet  awe-inspiring  fixity  they  seem  to  say,  "  Hitherto  shalt  thou  come,  but  no 
farther,  and  here  shall  thy  proud  waves  be  stayed." 

We  row  on,  and  for  two  or  three  miles  seem  to  be  making  little  or  no  headway ; 
but  gradually  the  cliffs  oi  the  mainland  recede  and  we  draw  near  to  the  first  of  the  group, 
that  known  as  the  Lemon  Rock.     This  is  a  mass  of  rock  rising  only  a  few  feet  above 

113  - 


THE   GANNET. 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

high-water  mark.  It  has  been  worn  into  a  ragged  outline  by  the  ceaseless  action 
of  the  water,  and  as  we  pass  it  so  far  away  that  the  roar  of  the  surge  is  softened  by  the 
distance  we  can  see  the  spray  shooting  up  in  columns  of  the  purest  white. 

It  seems  to  take  a  long  while,  our  crew  rowing  hard  all  the  time,  to  get  beyond  the 
Lemon  Rock.  But  at  last  it  is  left  upon  our  port  quarter,  and  we  have  now  done  the  larger 
half  of  our  outward  journey.  We  slowly  cross  the  stretch  of  two  or  three  miles  which 
separates  the  Lemon  Rock  from  the  Little  Skellig.  One  feels  afresh  the  insignificance 
of  man  in  the  presence  of  the  great  forces  of  nature.  The  sun  has  now  gone  behind  the 
clouds,  the  sea  has  changed  to  a  cold  gray,  the  waves  have  risen  a  little,  the  boat  seems 
small  and  frail,  the  ocean  seems  wide  and  mighty.  There  is  no  vessel  within  two  or 
three  miles  of  us,  and  only  five  or  six  visible  in  the  whole  circuit  of  our  horizon.  The 
strongest  swimmer,  in  case  of  need,  could  hardly  hope  to  reach  either  the  Skelligs  or 
the  shore.  But  a  glance  at  the  trim  craft  as  she  steadily  surmounts  wave  after  wave,  a 
look  at  the  intelligent  faces  and  sturdy  arms  of  the  rowers  as  they  cheerily  urge  on  the 
boat,  reassure  us,  and  we  banish  all  nervous  thoughts  and  give  ourselves  up  to  thorough 
enjoyment  of  an  hour  not  likely  to  recur  in  a  lifetime. 

We  pass  near  the  Little  Skellig,  and  while  doing  so  have  ample  time  to  study  the 
laro-e  numbers  of  gannets  clustering  upon  the  broken  ledges  of  its  most  southern  haunt 
in  Great  Britain.  The  sea  is  running  strongly  through  a  large  natural  arch  at  one  of 
the  sharp  angles  of  the  rock,  and,  though  we  can  not  help  wishing  for  the  sunlight,  we 
can  see  clearly  the  weird  forms  into  which  the  storms  of  ages  have  beaten  its  many 
cliffs  and  pinnacles. 

But  now  all  our  attention  is  concentrated  upon  the  main  object  of  our  trip.  We 
are  within  a  mile  of  the  Great  Skellig,  and  already  it  seems  to  tower  high  above  us  in 
solitary  and  mysterious  grandeur.  On  all  sides  the  cliff  rises  so  abruptly  and  so  for- 
biddingly from  the  sea  that  access  seems  impossible,  and  one  feels  curious  to  discover 
how  and  where  it  is  possible  to  get  a  footing.  As  we  pass  under  a  tremendous  shoul- 
der of  rock  which  forms  the  base  of  the  peak  running  up  almost  perpendicularly  for 
about  seven  hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  a  little  cove  comes  into  view.  Comparatively 
calm  as  the  day  is,  and  assured  as  we  are  by  the  boatmen  that  there  could  not  be  a 
finer  day  for  landing,  it  is  evident  even  to  an  inexperienced  eye  that  the  sea  is  running 
in  the  cove  in  a  way  that  shows  what  careful  handling  the  boat  needs.  By  skillful 
management  one  of  the  crew  is  enabled  to  jump  upon  a  ledge  of  rock  made  exceed- 
ino-ly  slippery  by  seaweed  growing  upon  it.  But  it  is  not  the  first  time  he  has  set  foot 
upon  the  Great  Skellig.  I  follow,  and  am  kept  from  any  risk  of  a  fall  by  his  stalwart 
arm,  and  then,  by  an  admirable  arrangement  of  ropes,  the  boat,  after  the  others  have 
landed,  is  swung  so  that  she  rides  up  and  down  in  the  middle  of  the  cove  with  no  risk 
of  coming  against  any   one   of  the  numerous  rocks  which   would  soon  knock  a  hole 

in  her. 

And  here  we  are,  after  our  three-hours  pull,  safely  landed  upon  the  famous  islet.  A 
very  fine  road,  which  was  made  by  government  labor  in  the  early  part  of  this  century, 
has  been  cut  out  of  the  perpendicular  cliff,  and  winds  slowly  up  to  the  lighthouse.  It 
affords  here  and  there  splendid  views  of  the  cliffs  in  its  gradual  ascent,  and  at  one  point 
crosses  over  a  chasm.  Being  on  the  lee  side  of  the  island  when  we  saw  it,  and  the  sea 
as  quiet  probably  as  it  ever  is  there,  the  swell  as  it  rolled  in  was  pleasant  to  the  ear 
and  the  eye .;    but  in  a  westerly  gale  the  scene  here  must  be  terrific.     As  one  stands 

114 


GLENGARIFF,  KILLARXEY,  AND   VALENTIA. 


tipon  this  road,  clinging  closely  to  the  face  of  the  rock,  and  looks  westward,  remember- 
ing that  the  nearest  land  in  that  direction  is  nearly  two  thousand  miles  away,  a  sense 
of  isolation  comes  over  the  mind. 

Until  recent  years  there  were  two  lighthouses  upon  the  island,  but  now  only  one  is 
in  use.  This  is  the  lower  one,  well  and  securely  placed  upon  a  platform  leveled  in  the 
rock  about  one  hundred  and  forty  feet  above  the  sea.  But  even  at  this  altitude  it  is 
not  altogether  free  from  serious  assault  on  the  part  of  the  ocean.  A  few  years  ago  the 
roof  was  partly  carried   away  by  an  enormous  wave   hurled  against  it  by  one  of  those 

severe  gales  that  from  time  to  time  sweep  across  the  Atlantic. 
The  whole  western  side  of  the  islet  has  been  beaten  by  the 
waves  into  precipitous  cliff. 

The  only  human  beings  at  present  resident  upon  the  island 

are     the      lighthouse-keeper 

with    his   wife    and    children 

It*       and    his   assistant.     There  is 

j^^-jS-      just  enough  space  upon 


V 


the  upper 
part  of  the 
island  for 
the  children  to  r 
and  for  a  few  sheep  to 
graze.  Rut  the  monotony  of 
such  a  life  must  be  very  great, 
and  it  seems  hard  upon  chi 
dren  that  they  should  be  compelled  to 
spend  two  or  three  years  of  their  young 
life  on  such  a  lonely,  not  to  say  danger- 
ous, rock.  The  lighthouse-keeper  here, 
in  common  with  his  brethren  elsewhere, 
is  courteous  and  willing  to  show  all  that 
there  is  to  be  seen.  Perhaps  his  cordiality  of  greeting  to  the  stranger  is  somewhat 
warmer  than  usual  from  the  fact  that  a  visit  is  indeed  a  rare  event,  and  the  sight  of  a 
strange  face  something  to  be  remembered. 

Lonely  indeed  is  the  Great  Skellig,  bracing  the  air,  and  picturesque  the  views 
afforded  by  its  own  rugged  cliffs,  and  those  of  the  Lesser  Skellig,  its  only  near  neigh- 
bor ;  but  these  would  hardly  form  sufficient  attractions  to  draw  the  visitor,  were  it  not 
for  the  well-known  fact  that  over  one  thousand  years  ago  this  solitary  peak  was  the 
home  of  a  busy  and  devout  life.  This  was  the  St.  Michael's  Mount  of  Ireland,  and  its 
history  is  dim  and  shadowy  in  the  very  early  ages  of  Church  history.  Many  remains  of 
•early  architecture,  and  some   of  them  in   wonderful  preservation,  are  still  to  be  seen 

115 


r    ' 

THE   ANCIENT  STAIRCASE   ON   THE   GREAT  SKELLIG, 
SHOWING  THE  LESSER  SKELLIG  IN  THE  DISTANCE. 

(From  an  autotype  in  Lord  Dunraven's  Notes  on  Irish  Architecture.) 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

upon  the  summit  of  the  rock,  and  form  the   chief  magnet   which   draws  the  traveler 
hither. 

As  one  begins  to  grow  more  familiar  with  the  scene,  and  to  lose  something  of  the 
awe  which  it  at  first  inspires,  one  can  not  but  feel  that  a  true  instinct  brought  hither  the 
monks  in  those  far-off  days.  Starting  from  the  lighthouse,  the  ascent  is  very  fine. 
"  Above,  the  rock  towers  higher  and  higher,  and  is  split  into  fantastic  forms  like  the 
opened  leaves  of  a  book  set  upright,  with  narrow  strips  of  bright  green  running  be- 
tween them,  or  fringing  the  horizontal  blocks  of  the  strata  at  their  feet.  When  the 
sunlit  mists  or  vapors  sweep  in  driving  clouds  above  them,  the  effect  is  in  the  highest 
degree  mysterious  and  beautiful ;  but  when  at  one  moment  these  mists  rise  so  as  en- 
tirely to  conceal  the  heights,  and  at  the  next  they  vanish  as  if  at  the  touch  of  some 
unseen  hand,  and  the  cliff  again  stands  revealed  against  the  blue  unfathomed  sky,  it 
seems  as  if  the  whole  scene  were  called  up  by  some  strange  magician's  wand. 

"The  ancient  approach  to  the  monastery  from  the  landing-place  was  on  the  north- 
east side.  There  are  six  hundred  and  twenty  steps  from  a  point  of  the  cliff  which  is 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  up  to  the  monastery. 
The  rest  of  this  flight  of  steps  is  broken  away,  and  a  new  approach  was  cut  in  very 
recent  times.  The  old  stairs  run  in  a  varying  line  ;  the  steps,  which  grow  broader 
toward  the  upper  half  of  the  ascent,  are  lined  with  tufts  and  long  cushions  of  the  sea- 
pink,  and  at  each  turn  the  ocean  is  seen  breaking  in  foam  hundreds  of  feet  below."1 

For  many  centuries  the  island  has  been  the  scene  of  pilgrimage,  but  the  author  could 
get  no  certain  information  as  to  when  the  practice  ceased,  if  it  has  come  to  an  end. 
Half  way  up  the  ascent  is  a  little  valley  between  the  two  peaks,  in  shape  something  like 
a  saddle,  and,  known  as  "  Christ's  Saddle,"  or  the  Garden  of  the  Passion.  From  this 
place  what  is  known  as  the  Way  of  the  Cross  rises  up,  and  at  one  part  a  rock  has  been 
shaped  into  the  form  of  a  rude  cross.  The  path  still  rises,  and  at  length  brings  the 
climber  to  the  Cashel  or  inclosing  wall  of  the  monastery.  And  a  wonderful  spot  this  is. 
Around  is  the  sky  and  sea.  In  the  far  distance  is  the  outline  of  the  Irish  coast,  but  a 
most  peculiar  effect  is  produced  upon  the  mind  and  spirit  by  the  physical  properties  of 
the  spot.  One  can  not  at  first  shake  off  the  sense  of  insecurity  ;  then  the  loneliness  of 
a  high  elevation  oppresses  one  ;  and  yet  the  disturbing  influence  of  these  feelings  is 
soothed  by  the  consciousness  that  the  spot  is  rich  in  its  spiritual  helpfulness.  It  is  good 
for  the  soul  to  be  thus  lifted  out  of  and  away  from  all  the  mean  and  petty  detail  of  life, 
to  escape  from  the  wearing  friction  of  the  selfish  every-day  life,  and  to  be  alone  with  the 
noblest  natural  features — the  wide  sky,  the  broad  and  health-giving  ocean,  the  immov- 
able rock,  so  firmly  rooted  that  through  countless  generations  the  Atlantic  surges  have 
vainly  thundered  against  it.  Standing  there  one  feels  that  when  other  countless  genera- 
tions shall  have  passed  the  rock  will  abide  there  still. 

Another  element  in  this  potent  charm  is  the  conviction  that  upon  this  rock  the  men 
of  the  past  met,  and  fought,  and  conquered  those  foes  with  which  the  true  spirit  of  man 
is  ever  at  war.  We  might  not  be  able  to  use  the  forms  of  prayer  through  which  those 
men  expressed  their  penitence,  their  praise,  their  aspiration  ;  we  may  differ  altogether 
from  their  conception  of  life,  and  think  that  they  were  better  placed  when  on  the  main- 
land, and  nearer  the  full  tide  of  their  brethren's  life,  and  toils,  and  conflicts,  and  tempta- 
tions.   But  few  can  stand  on  that  lonely  elevation,  bound  up  indissolubly,  as  it  is,  with  so. 

'  Dunraven's  Notes  on  Irish  Architecture,  pp.  27,  28. 
116 


GLLXdARfFF.  KII.I.ARXF.V   AXD   VALENTIA. 


much  that  is  sublime  in  the  present  and  hallowed  in  the  past,  without  feeling  lifted,  for  a 
time  at  least,  out  of  the  low  commonplace  and  the  mean  selfishness  of  too  much  of  our 
daily  lit"''. 

The  spirit  recognizes  that  here  in  past  ages  men  sought  the  great  Father  in  heaven, 
and  found   that   God  is  love  ;    here  they  yearned  for  pardon  and  found  the  true  "  Way 


Scale  of  Feet 


PLAN    OF   THE    MONASTERY    ON    THE    GREAT    SKELLIG. 
(From  Dunraven's  Notes  an  Irish  Architecture.) 

of  the  Cross,"  the  forgiveness  of  sins  made  possible  because  Jesus  Christ  died  on  the 

cross,  for  the    Father,  having  given   the  Son,  with    Him  freely  gave  them  all  things. 

These  rude,  humble  stone  cells  become  radiant  as  one  feels  that  in  them  answers  to 

prayer  were  obtained,  and   that  in  them  men,  our  brothers,  felt  the  power  of  the  Spirit 

117 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

of  God  to  cleanse,  to  inspire,  to  recreate,  and  to  exalt.  And  this  feeling  deepens  as- 
one  remembers  the  comparative  purity  of  that  early  Irish  Church,  which  has  impressed 
upon  the  world's  history  such  personalities  as  Patrick,  Columbkille  and  Columbanus. 
Seen  under  the  influence  of  such  associations,  one  feels  the  truth  of  these  words:  "The 
scene  is  one  so  solemn  and  so  sad  that  none  should  enter  here  but  the  pilgrim  and  the 
penitent.  The  sense  of  solitude,  the  vast  heaven  above,  and  the  sublime  monotonous 
motion  of  the  sea  beneath,  would  but  oppress  the  spirit,  were  not  that  spirit  brought 
into  harmony  with  all  that  is  most  sacred  and  grand  in  Nature,  by  the  depth  and  even 
by  the  bitterness  of  its  own  experience."1 

In  order  to  give  the  reader  a  notion  of  what  one  of  these  early  Irish  monasteries 
was  like,  the  accompanying  plan  has  been  engraved.  To  render  it  quite  clear,  a  brief 
explanation  is  needful.  The  buildings  which  form  this  monastery  occupy  a  piece  of 
ground  measuring  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  in  length  by  from  eighty  to  one 
hundred  feet  in  width.  They  are,  first — the  Church  of  St.  Michael,  two  small  oratories, 
Nos.  5  and  7  in  ground  plan,  and  six  anchorite  cells  or  dwelling-houses.  There  are 
also  two  wells  and  five  leachta,  or  places  of  entombment,  and  several  rude  crosses. 
This  group  of  buildings  was  enclosed  on  one  side  by  the  rock,  against  which  they  were 
partly  built,  and  then  by  the  Cashel,  which  ran  along  the  edge  of  the  precipice.  The 
old  entrance  was  at  A  in  the  ground  plan.  It  consisted  of  a  flight  of  steps  through  a 
door,  which  has  long  been  stopped  up.  It  leads  into  a  small  level  piece  of  ground, 
called  the  Monk's  Garden,  at  B,  then  by  another  flight  to  the  doorway,  D,  which  is  also 
closed. 

St.  Michael's  Church,  marked  chapel  in  the  plan,  is  not  the  original  church  of  the 
monastery,  but  a  later  structure.  It  is  peculiar,  inasmuch  as  it  faces  the  northeast  ;  and 
its  walls,  now  only  a  mass  of  ruins,  were  but  a  few  years  since  nearly  perfect.  More 
interesting  are  the  old  cells,  of  which  the  Cashel  contains  several  fine  specimens.  No.  1 
is  a  circular  structure  having  what  is  known  as  a  bee-hive  roof.  Each  stone  projects  on 
the  inside  a  little  beyond  the  one  beneath,  and  gradually  in  this  way  the  roof  comes  to  a 
point  closed  by  a  single  stone.  These  erections  belong  to  a  very  ancient  period  of  early 
Irish  ecclesiastical  architecture.  The  interior  is  16  feet  6  inches  high,  and  the  walls  are 
6  feet  thick.  No.  2  is  rectangular  inside,  better  built  than  No.  1,  and  composed  of  larger 
stones,  some  of  which  are  dressed.  Nos.  3  and  4  are  similar  structures.  No.  5  was  an 
oratory,  and  is  quadrangular  up  to  the  height  of  8  feet,  and  then  becomes  an  oval  dome. 
The  wall  at  the  door  is  4  feet  8  inches  thick.  No.  6  is  a  cell,  having  on  the  inside  two 
rows  of  projecting  stones  or  pegs,  which  here,  as  also  in  the  other  cells,  may  have  been 
the  supports  of  book-satchels.  No.  7  is  an  oratory,  stands  alone,  and  gives  evidence  of 
being  the  oldest  of  the  whole  group  of  buildings  by  reason  of  the  very  rude  nature  of 
the  building.  No.  8,  for  a  similar  reason,  is  supposed  to  be  the  oldest  of  the  cells.  It  is 
partly  hidden  by  a  wall  built  up  against  it  in  modern  times. 

G  and  H  are  old  burial-grounds,  containing  many  rude  crosses  and  pillar-stones. 

Our  knowledge  of  the  history  of  the  Great  Skellig  is  neither  full  nor  consecutive,  but 
there  are  very  interesting  references  to  it  in  the  chief  Irish  writers.  Keating2  tells  the 
story  of  how  in  ancient  days  the  Milesians  were  wrecked  off  the  southwest  coast  of  Ire- 
land by  the  powerful  enchantments  of  the  Tuatha  de  Danaans,  and  goes  on  to  relate  that 
"The  valiant  Ir,  the  son  of  Milesius,  with  his  ship,  met  the  same  fate  ;  for  he  was  divided 

'  Dunraven's  Notes  on  Irish  Architecture,  vol.  i.,  p.  30.         2  General  History  of  Ireland  (1S54  edition,  crown  8vo),  p.  136. 
118 


GLENGARIFF,  KILLARNEF,  AXD    VALENTIA. 

from  the  fleet,  and  was  driven  upon  the  western  coast  of  Desmond,  in  the  kingdom  of 
Ireland,  where  he  split  upon  the  rucks,  and  every  man  perished.  The  body  of  this  un- 
fortunate prince  was  cast  upon  the  shore,  and  was  buried  in  a  small  island  called  Sceilig 
Mhichil.  This  place,  by  reason  of  its  peculiar  qualities,  deserves  a  particular  descrip- 
tion. It  is  a  kind  of  rock,  situated  a  few  leagues  in  the  sea,  and  since.'  St.  Patrick's 
time  much  frequented  by  way  of  piety  and  devotion  ;  the  top  of  it  is  flat  and  plain,  and, 
though  the  depth  of  earth  he  hut  shallow,  it  is  observed  to  be  of  a  very  fattening  nature, 
and  feeds  abundance  of  wild-fowl  that  are  forced  to  be  confined  upon  it;  I  say  they  are 
forced,  because  the  surface  of  the  ground,  it  is  supposed,  has  that  attractive  virtue  as  to 
draw  down  all  the  birds  that  attempt  to  tly  over  it,  and  oblige  them  to  alight  upon  the 
rock.  The  people  who  reside  nigh  resort  hither  in  small  boats,  when  the  sea  is  calm,  to 
catch  these  birds,  whose  flesh,  being  very  sweet,  they  use  for  provision,  and  their  feath- 
ers for  other  occasions ;  and  it  is  to  be  observed  that  th  ;2  fowl,  though  almost  innumer- 
able, are  exceeding  fat,  notwithstanding  the  top  of  the  rock  is  but  small,  and  does  not 
exceed  three  acres  of  land.  The  isle  is  surrounded  by  high  and  almost  inaccessible 
precipices  that  hang  dreadfully  over  the  sea,  which  is  generally  rough,  and  roars  hide- 
ously beneath.  There  is  but  one  track,  and  that  very  narrow,  that  leads  up  to  the  top, 
and  the  ascent  is  so  difficult  and  frightful  that  few  are  so  hardy  as  to  attempt  it." 

Although  Keating  states  that  since  St.  Patrick's  day  the  rock  has  been  a  place  of 
pilgrimage,  there  is  no  historical  evidence  of  this  fact.  The  Annals  record  several 
plunderings  of  the  islet  by  the  Danes  about  823  a.  d.  For  example,  under  that  date 
the  Annals  of  Ulster  state,  "  Eitgau  of  Scelig  was  carried  away  by  the  strangers,  and 
soon  died  of  hunger  and  thirst." 

Giraldus  Cambrensis,  in  his  Topographia  Hibcmiac,  a  work  dating  from  a.  d.  i  187, 
thus  refers  to  the  Skelligs  :  "  In  the  southern  part  of  Munster,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Cork,  there  is  an  island,  with  a  church  dedicated  to  St.  Michael,  famed  for  its  orthodox 
sanctity  from  very  ancient  times;"  and  Lord  Dunraven 1  gives  a  passage  from  an 
ancient  MS.,  extracted  by  Mr.  W.  M.  Hennesy,  to  the  following  effect  :  "  This  Rocke 
stands  three  leagues  from  the  earth  in  the  main  ocean.  Itt  is  all  at  lest  seven  hundred 
perches  long  or  heigh,  and  with  much  adoe  one  man  can  climb  up  the  stayres  to  it  at  a 
tyme,  if  he  looks  of  any  side  he  will  be  afrayd  of  falling  into  sea.  Att  the  top  of  this 
rock  is  a  church  built,  and  a  churchyeard  about  it,  people  coming  too  for  to  perform  a 
pilgrimage  on  that  Rocke.  There  is  a  fount  or  well  springing  out  of  the  Rocke  in  the 
top,  and  which  is  very  admirable.  There  is  no  bird  that  threds  in  the  said  churchyeard 
above,  but  must  go  to  the  very  brinke  or  bancke  thereof  afore  they  can  fly  ;  they  can 
fly  over  it,  but  if  they  light  in  that  place  they  can  never  fly  until  they  run  to  the 
brink  as  afforesaide.  It  is  named  from  the  Archangell  St.  Michaell,  in  Irish  Sceilig 
Mhichil." 

We  are  not  bound  in  this  later  age  to  accept  as  undoubted  all  the  marvels  at- 
tributed to  the  Rock  in  ancient  times,  but  these  references  show  that  in  remote  days, 
no  less  than  now,  it  was  difficult  of  approach,  and  that  its  religious  associations  stirred 
some  of  the  deepest  emotions  of  the  heart. 

But  the  afternoon  is  wearing  on,  the  wind  is  freshening  a  little,  and  though  we 
would  gladly  linger  for  hours,  prudence  warns  us  that  it  is  time  to  depart.  A  large 
proportion  of  the  population  of  the  island  accompanies  us  to  the  cove,  where  our  boat 

1  Notes  on  Irish  Architecture,  vol.  i.,  p.  36. 

119 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

is  tossino-  somewhat  restlessly  upon  waters  that  are  in  much  more  lively  motion  than 
when  we  landed.  The  tide  is  high,  and  the  boatmen's  care  and  skill  are  tasked  to  get 
us  safely  embarked.  Any  nervous  hesitation,  or  a  foot  slipping  at  the  critical  moment, 
might  now  be  serious,  for  the  boat  is  rising  from  four  to  six  feet  as  each  surge  of  the 
tide  rolls  into  the  cove.  But  in  a  few  moments  we  are  all  safely  on  board,  and  the  bow 
pointing  toward  Port  Magee.  We  are  not  one  hundred  yards  from  the  island  before 
we  have  .clear  evidence  that  the  sea  is  higher  and  the  breeze  stronger  than  it  was  two 
hours  before.  The  white  caps  of  the  breaking  waves  are  here  and  there  to  be  seen, 
and,  thouo-h  the  four  rowers  put  their  strength  into  each  pull,  we  seem  to  leave  the 
Great  Skellio-  only  very  slowly  behind  us.  And  again  and  again  does  the  eye  delight 
in  its  almost  savage  and  yet  fascinating  outlines.  For  a  time  the  weather  seems  in- 
clined to  give  us  a  touch  of  one  of  its  rougher  moods.  As  it  is,  we  have  to  shape  our 
course  so  as  to  run  to  the  south  of  Puffin  Island  (so  called  because  frequented  by 
puffins.)  And  after  a  really  hard  pull  of  an  hour  and  a  half's  duration,  we  get  under 
its  lee,  and  the  work  gets  easier.  The  row  northward,  almost  immediately  under  the 
frownino-  cliffs  of  the  mainland,  enables  us  to  study  closely  the  splendid  peculiarities  of 
this  coast  ;  and  the  nearer  inspection  only  deepens  the  first  impression,  viz.,  that  it  is  a 
cruel  coast  for  any  boat  or  ship  in  distress,  but  that  it  is  a  superb  coast  for  the  magni- 
ficent way  in  which  it  seems  to  assert  its  permanent  supremacy  to  the  restless,  passion- 
ate, and  eagerly  on-rushing  ocean. 

As  we  enter  the  harbor  and  glide  into  the  still  water,  the  surf  in  the  outer  ledges 
and  reefs  thundering  more  loudly  and  heavily  than  in  the  morning,  the  sun  again  shines 
forth.  We  take  a  long,  lingering  farewell  of  the  sapphire  islets,  and  enjoy  a  lovely 
evenino-  walk  home  through  the  heart  of  Valentia  from  Port  Magee  to  the  hotel  at 
Knio-hts  Town,  having  added  another  to  the  too  short  list  of  our  notable  days  of  travel 
and  adventure. 


A  STONE  ORATORY  AT  SALLERUS,  COUNTY  KERRY. 


ATHLONE    CASTLE. 


CHAPTER     VI 


The  Shanni  >x. 


IRELAND  is  exceedingly  rich  in  rivers  and  loughs.  The  traveler  marvels,  first,  at  the 
extent  and  beauty  of  these  natural  high-roads,  and,  secondly,  at  the  comparatively 
slight  use  made  of  them  for  traffic  and  commerce.  In  Queenstown  Harbor,  near  the  port 
of  Moville,  in  Lough  Foyle,  in  Belfast  Lough,  and  in  Dublin  Harbor,  there  are  signs  of 
a  busy  shipping  trade.  But  even  these  splendid  harbors  do  not  impress  the  observer  as 
being  in  any  degree  embarrassed  by  its  quantity.  And,  on  the  other  hand,  such  arms 
of  the  sea  as  Carlingford  Lough,  Donegal  Bay,  Galway  Bay,  and,  above  all,  the  estuary 
of  the  Shannon — waterways  which  many  a  land  would  be  only  too  glad  to  possess  and 
to  utilize — are  nearly  devoid  of  shipping.  The  sail  from  Limerick  to  Kilrush  fills  the 
visitor  with  amazement.  He  rejoices  in  the  size  of  this  Irish  Mississippi,  and  in  the  fine 
old  ruined  castles,  and  the  lovely  views  to  be  seen  along  the  banks.  But  while  the 
steamer  glides  down  the  stream  hour  after  hour,  and  few,  if  any,  vessels  pass  it  on  their 
upward  way,  he  is  led  to  marvel  how  and  why  it  comes  to  pass  that  such  a  superb  chan- 
nel is  so  conspicuously  deserted.  Nature  has  enriched  no  other  European  countries  with 
such  magnificent  waterways,  only  to  see  them  comparatively  unused. 

Ireland  also  compares  favorably  with  England  in  her  rivers.  England  can  well  hold  her 
own  in  scenery  ;  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  she  can  show  river  country  equal  in  beauty 
to  the  Avonmore,  the  Blackwater,  the  Barrow,  the  Suir,  the  Nore,  the  Boyne  and  its 
branches.  However  this  may  be,  it  is  certain  that  no  river  in  England  equals  the  Shan- 
non, either  as  an  estuary,  or  in  extent,  or  in  the  interest  attaching  to  the  towns  and  dis- 


AT   CASTLE   CONNELL   ON   THE    SHANNON. 

(From  a  sketch  by  Charles    IVhywfier.) 


THE  SHANNON, 


tricts  along  its  course.  We  propose  in  this  chapter  to  trace  the  course  of  the  great 
stream  from  the  source  to  the  >  i,  visiting  the  more  famous  places  and  districts  as  we 
pass. 

The  Shannon  is  two  hundred  and  forty  miles  long,  and  it  drains  four  thousand  five 
hundred  and  forty-four  square  miles  of  country.  It  is  navigable  for  large  vessels  as  far 
as  Limerick,  that  is,  some  sixty  miles  up  from  the  mouth  ;  and  the  greater  part  of  its 
course,  a  total  distance  of  two  hundred  and  thirty-four  miles,  is  available  for  small  vessels. 
The  source,  according  to  the  popular  account,  is  a  limestone  cauldron,  known  as  The 
Shannon  Pot,  situated  in  a  mountain  valley  in  Cavan.  But  Professor  Hull  asserts  that 
experiment  has  proved  the  real  source  to  be  "  a  little  lough,  situated  about  a  mile 
from  the  Shannon  Pot,  which  receives  considerable  drainage  from  the  "round  surround- 
ing  it  at  the  base  of  Tiltibane,  but  has  no  visible  outlet.  The  waters  from  the  little  lough 
flow  in  a  subterranean  channel  till  they  issue  forth  at  the  so-called  source  of  the  Shan- 
non."    The  river  flowing  in  a  southerly  course  is  re-enforced  by  the  Owenmore  River, 

a  considerable  stream  with 
several  affluents  which  drains 
the  valley  between  Cuilcagh 
and  Slievenakula  Mountains, 
and  which  has  itself  a  fair 
claim  to  be  considered  the 
real  headwaters  of  the 
Shannon.  The  combined 
streams  soon  leave  Cavan 
and  flow  through  Leitrim, 
broadening  out  into  Lough 
Allen,  the  first  of  a  series  of 
fine  sheets  of  water  along- 
the  course  of  the  river. 

In  its  southerly  course 
the  stream  passes  by  Car- 
rick  -  on  -  Shannon,  James- 
town, Loughs  Baderg,  and 
Forbes,  and  forms  the  boundary  between  Connaught  and  Leinster,  separating  Roscom- 
mon on  the  west  from  Longford  and  West  Meath  on  the  east.  About  nine  miles  from 
the  town  of  Longford  is  a  spot  famous  in  the  literary  history  not  only  of  Ireland,  but 
also  of  the  United  Kingdom.  In  1883  a  family  named  Edgeworth  established  itself 
at  the  village  called  Edgeworthstown,  the  head  of  it  at  that  date  being  Bishop  of 
Down  and  Connor.  The  family  has  always  held  a  high  place  among  those  who  felt 
it  a  duty  to  labor  for  the  benefit  and  social  improvement  of  those  around  them. 

During  the  last  century  Richard  Edgeworth  did  much  to  improve  the  estate,  and 
was  a  noted  landlord,  but  it  is  to  the  pen  of  his  daughter  that  the  wide  reputation  of 
the  family  is  due,  and  the  Moral  Talcs  have  been  read  wherever  English  is  known. 
The  house  in  which  the  Edgeworths  have  resided  for  generations  is  a  plain,  comforta- 
ble mansion,  and  in  this  house,  which  is  still  standing,  the  stories  were  written  which 
have  delighted  and  benefited  thousands  of  readers. 

Dr.  Macauley,  in  the  Leisure  Hour  for  1873,  thus  describes  the  place  to  which  he 

123 


THE   HOUSE    IN    WHICH   1IAEIA   EDGEWORTH    LIVED. 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

then  journeyed  as  a  literary  pilgrim  :  "  Edgeworthstown  is  not  a  show  place,  nor  is  it 
to  be  seen  without  special  permission.  Having  obtained  this,  I  spent  some  pleasant 
hours  there.  Yet  it  was  a  melancholy  kind  of  pleasure,  the  silent  and  deserted  rooms 
peopling  themselves  with  the  shadows  of  the  generation  now  all  but  passed  away. 
Maria  Edgeworth  died  in  i85o,  yet  the  library  or  study  where  she  wrote  most  of  the 
works  which  have  made  her  name  world-famous  is  just  as  she  left  it.  It  is  a  laro-e, 
low-roofed  room,  with  thick  projecting  wood  pillars  and  wainscoting,  and  with  cosy 
recesses.  Her  writing-table  and  chair  and  old  family  bits  of  furniture  are  still  there. 
The  walls  are  covered  with  pictures,  chiefly  family  portraits,  of  which  there  are  also 
several  in  the  fine  entrance-hall.  All  parts  of  the  house  are  full  of  interesting  family 
records  and  relics." 

Maria  Edgeworth's  father  was  married  four  times,  and  had  no  fewer  than  twenty- 
two   children.      She   was  the  eldest,  and  in    1814  she  wrote:     "  His  eldest  child  was 


THE    LIBRARY    IN     WHICH    MAEIA    EDGEWORTH   WEOTE. 


above  five-and-forty,  the  youngest  being  only  one  year  old."  It  was  the  responsibility 
thus  thrust  upon  her,  combined  with  natural  aptitude  for  the  work,  which  enabled  her 
to  practice  in  that  large  family  the  precepts  she  embodied  in  her  numerous  writings. 

Between  Longford  and  Athlone  the  Shannon  widens  out  into  Lough  Ree,  a  pictur- 
esque lake,  possessing  the  broken  outline  common  to  loughs  formed  by  the  chemical 
solution  of  limestone  rocks.  The  banks  are  well  wooded,  and  the  surface  of  the  lake  is 
broken  by  islands,  some  of  which  are  exceedingly  beautiful.  Not  very  far  from  the 
southern  end  of  Lough  Ree  is  the  village  of  Lissory  or  Auburn,  which  claims  to  be  the 
birthplace  of  Oliver  Goldsmith,  and  which  certainly  was  the  scene  of  his  early  chi'd- 
hood  and  youth.  He  was  born  at  Pallas,  in  County  Longford,  in  November,  1728, 
and  when  the  boy  was  only  a  few  years  old  his  father,  a  curate,  was  presented  with  the 
living  of  Auburn,  where  he  was  not  simply  "passing  rich  on  forty  pounds  a  year,"  after 
the  standard  of   The  Deserted   Village,  but  in  fairly  comfortable  circumstances,  for  the 

living  was  worth  about  $1,000  a  year.    As  a  boy  Oliver  Goldsmith  had  a  hard  life.    He 
124 


THE  SHANNON. 

was  not  attractive  in  appearance,  and  the  smallpox  left  most  evident  traces  upon  his 
countenance  of  the  severity  with  which  it  had  visited  him.  From  Auburn,  when  he 
was  sixteen,  he  went  up  as  a  sizar  to  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  and  while  there  he  so 
failed  to  utilize  his  time  and  opportunities  that  neither  the  keenest  insight  nor  the 
liveliest  imagination  could  have  predicted  that  the  day  would  come  when  the  institu- 
tion in  which  he  had  been  caned  by  a  tutor  would  erect,  on  one  of  the  most  prominent 


OLIVER    GOLI 'SMITH. 


sites  in  the  Irish  metropolis,  a  statue  to  his  memory.  Goldsmith  was  a  poet  and  a  man 
of  letters,  and  it  has  long  been  recognized  that  literary  men  of  genius  seldom  develop 
in  accordance  with  fixed  rule,  or  in  orderly  response  to  academic  training. 

It  has  often  been  supposed  that  in  Goldsmith's  famous  poem,  The  Deserted  Village, 
which  appeared  in  1770,  he  has  sketched  Auburn.  Lord  Macaulay's  criticism  is  proba- 
bly just.     "  It  is  made  up  of  two  incongruous  parts.     The  village  in  its  happy  days  is  a 

I2S 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

true  English  village;  the  village  in  its  decay  is  an  Irish  village.  He  had  assuredly 
never  seen  in  his  native  island  such  a  rural  paradise,  such  a  seat  of  plenty,  content, 
and  tranquillity,  as  his  Auburn.  He  had  assuredly  never  seen  in  England  all  the  in- 
habitants of  such  a  paradise  turned  out  of  their  homes  in  one  day,  and  forced  to  emi- 
grate in  a  body  to  America.  The  hamlet  he  had  probably  seen  in  Kent  ;  the  ejectment 
he  had  probably  seen  in  Munster  ;  but  by  joining  the  two  he  has  produced  something 
which  never  was  and  never  will  be  seen  in  any  part  of  the  world." 

Two  miles  below  Lough  Ree  the  Shannon  flows  past  Athlone,  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant and  noted  of  Irish  inland  towns.  It  is  a  busy  market  town,  a  great  military 
center,  possessing  also  a  valuable  salmon  fishery.  The  main  line  of  rail  between  Dub- 
lin and  Galway  here  crosses  the  Shannon  by  a  handsome  bowstring  and  lattice  iron 
swivel  bridge.  This  is  five  hundred  and  sixty  feet  long,  has  four  spans,  two  of 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  each  over  the  river,  and  two  of  forty  feet  each  over  a 
road  on  each  bank.  The  castle  is  supposed  to  date  from  King  John's  time,  and  is  still 
well  kept  up,  being  an  important  and  imposing  structure.  Adjoining  it  are  barracks 
capable  of  accommodating  a  small  army.  Athlone  was  the  scene  of  stirring  adventures 
in  1 64 1,  and  in  1691  it  was  besieged  and  captured  by  General  Ginkell.  The  bulk  of 
the  town  lies  opposite  the  castle,  and  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Shannon.  The  famous 
old  bridge,  the  scene  of  many  a  conflict,  was  taken  down  some  years  ago,  and  replaced 
by  the  handsome  and  convenient  structure  depicted  in  the  engraving.  Athlone  is  not 
well  built,  nor  does  it  contain  much  that  need  delay  the  visitor.  But  there  is  an  air  of 
bustle  and  prosperity  about  it  that  presents  a  pleasing  contrast  with  some  not  very  dis- 
tant neighbors. 

Athlone  is  the  most  convenient  starting-point  for  an  excursion  that  should  rank 
among  the  most  important  in  Ireland,  viz.,  a  visit  to  Clonmacnois.  At  onetime  steam- 
ers plied  down  the  Shannon  from  Athlone  to  Killaloe  ;  but  at  the  time  of  writing 
(1888)  this  is  not  the  case.  A  steamer  may  occasionally  go,  but  this  happens  too  sel- 
dom to  be  of  much  service  to  strangers.  This  is  a  misfortune,  for  the  trip  is  one  of  the 
best  in  Ireland.  But  to  visit  Clonmacnois  the  visitor  can  either  hire  a  rowboat  and  pull 
down  the  river  or  go  by  road  in  a  car,  a  distance  of  nearly  twelve  miles.  By  the  latter 
method  he  sees  to  advantage  a  fine  stretch  of  country,  and  enjoys  some  strong  fresh 
air.  The  district  is  undulating,  and  the  road  winds  along  past  country  houses,  through 
tiny  hamlets,  by  deserted  cabins,  and  over  large  stretches  of  bog,  giving  every  here  and 
there  fine  views  over  the  Shannon  Valley,  and  at  last  brings  the  visitor  to  the  far- 
famed  "  Meadow  of  the  Son  of  Nos,"  this  being  the  real  meaning  of  the  name  Clon- 
macnois. 

This  famous  ecclesiastical  establishment  is  well  situated  upon  a  knoll  overlooking  a 
wide  sweep  and  curve  of  the  Shannon.  Within  a  cashel,  or  stone  inclosure,  are  some 
magnificent  architectural  remains,  and  upon  another  knoll  only  a  stone's  throw  distant 
are  traces  of  the  ancient  structure  which  served  as  the  episcopal  palace  and  castle  of 
the  O'Melaghlins.  Clonmacnois  was  founded  in  a.  d.  546  by  St.  Kieran  on  land  given  by 
Dermot  MacCervail,  King  of  Ireland.  It  soon  became  a  city  and  the  seat  of  a  bishop- 
ric, and  established  a  great  reputation  as  a  seat  of  learning.  In  later  times  it  became 
a  favorite  cemetery  for  kings  and  nobles.  It  was  ravaged  again  and  again  by  the 
Northmen,  and  the  centuries  have  not  treated   it  very   kindly.     But  notwithstanding 

these  vicissitudes  and  the  destructive  influences  that  have  been  exerted  upon  It,  it  is 
126 


THE  SHANNON. 


yet  second  to  no  spot  in  Ireland  for  the  number  and  interest  oi  its  wonderful 
remains. 

These  consist  of  churches,  round-towers,  stone  crosses,  and  ancient  tombs.  The 
building  known  as  Temple  Conor  is  now  used  as  a  parish  church.  This  church  dates 
from  the  tenth  century,  but  of  the  original  edifice  in  all  probability  the  doorway,  of 
which  we  give  an  illustration,  is  the  only  part  extant.  The  Daimhliag  Mor,  or  Great 
Church,  was  built  in  909  by  Flann,  King  of  Ireland,  and  Colman,  Abbot  of  Clonmac- 
nois.  It  was  rebuilt  in  the  fourteenth  century;  but  the  splendid  west  doorway  is  in  all 
probability  a  part  of  the  original  structure.  The  north  doorway,  which  is  enriched  by 
three  sculptures  placed  above  the  arch, — St.  Patrick  in  his  pontificals,  with  St.  Francis 
on  one  side  and  St.  Dominic  on  the  other, — is  of  the  later  date.  Standing  within  the 
church  and  looking  out  through  the  western  door,  the  visitor  sees  one  of  the  finest 
ancient  crosses  in  Ireland.  It  has  evidently  been  placed  there  purposely,  and,  seen 
through  the  frame  of  a  doorway  that  was  two  cen- 
turies old  when  Henry  II.  landed  in  Ireland,  stand- 
ing out  boldly  and  clearly  as  it  does  against  the 
distant  sky,  this  great,  time-worn  cross  deeply  im- 
presses the  imagination.  About  its  origin  there  is 
no  doubt.  Upon  the  west  side  is  the  inscription, 
"  A  prayer  for  Flann,  son  of  Maelsechlainn," 
and  upon  the  eastern,  "A  prayer  for  Colman  who 
made  this  cross  on  the  King  Flann."  King  Flann 
died  in  a.  d.  916,  and  Abbot  Colman  in  924  or 
926,  and  this  magnificent  monument,  fifteen  feet 
high,  and  so  placed  that  no  worshiper  could  leave 
the  church  without  seeing  it,  has  for  over  nine 
hundred  years  testified  to  the  piety  of  the  monarch 
and  to  the  skill  of  the  men  by  whom  he  was  served 
and  remembered.  On  the  side  of  the  cross  facing- 
the  church  are  sculptures  relating  to  the  original  -"*■ 
foundation  of  that  edifice  by  St.  Kieran,  who  is 
represented  with  a  hammer  in  one  hand  and  a 
mallet   in  the  other.     The   other  side  has  carvings 

depicting  scenes  in  our  Lord's  Passion.  A  short  distance  to  the  south  stands  another 
large  cross,  nearly  as  fine  a  specimen  of  this  kind  of  art  as  Flann's.  It  is  a  good 
example  of  the  embossed  ornamentation  common  in  Irish  sculpture  of  this  period. 
The  engraving  on  page  128  represents  this  in  the  foreground,  with  Flann's  cross 
and  the  big  round-tower  in  the  middle  and  the  Shannon  in  the  distance.  The  numer- 
ous tombstones,  ancient  and  modern,  testify  to  the  sanctity  of  Clonmacnois. 

There  are  two  round-towers.  That  shown  in  the  engraving,  although  ruined  in  the 
upper  portion,  is  one  of  the  largest  and  finest  in  the  country.  It  is  contemporary,  in 
all  probability,  with  Flann's  Church.  Ccesar  Otway's  description  of  it  is  not  only  appro- 
priate to  this,  but  applies  to  many  other  specimens  of  this  characteristic  Irish  building. 
"  It  was  high  enough  to  take  cognizance  of  the  coming  enemy,  let  him  come  from  what 
point  he  might ;   it  commanded  the  ancient  causeway  that  was  laid  down  at  considerable 

expense  across  the  great  bog  on  the  Connaught  side  of  the  Shannon  ;  it  looked  up  and 

127 


DOORWAY   OF   TEMPLE   CONOR   CHURCH, 
CLONMACNOIS. 


IRELA  ND  IL  L  US  TRA  TED. 

down  the  river,  and  commanded  the  tortuous  and  sweeping  reaches  of  the  stream,  as  it 
unfolded  itself  like  an  uncoiling  serpent  along  the  surrounding  bogs  and  marshes  ;  it  could 
hold  communication  with  the  holy  places  of  Clonfert  ;  and  from  the  top  of  its  pillared 
height  send  its  beacon  light  toward  the  sacred  isles  and  anchorite  retreats  of  Lough  Ree  ; 
it  was  large  and  roomy  enough  to  contain  all  the  officiating  priests  of  Clonmacnois,  with 
their  pyxes,  vestments,  and  books  ;  and  though  the  pagan  Dane  or  wild  Munsterman 
might  rush  on  in  rapid  inroad,  yet  the  solitary  watcher  on  the  tower  was  ready  to  give 


THE   LARGE   ROUND-TOWER   AND   THE   CROSSES   AT   CLONMACNOIS. 


warning  and  collect  within  the  protecting  pillar  all  holy  men  and  things  until  the  tyranny 
was  overpast." 

This  extract  admirably  describes  the  most  important  functions  of  these  curious  build- 
ings. No  point  in  Irish  archaeology  has  been  more  controverted  than  the  origin  and 
use  of  the  round-towers.  Dr.  Petrie  has,  in  the  opinion  of  most  scholars,  settled  the 
question  once  for  all  in  his  well-known  essay.  They  were  watch-towers  from  which 
the  approach  of  an  enemy  might  be  descried  in  time  to  make  adequate  preparations  for 
defense.  They  were  secure  places  of  refuge,  into  which  the  monks  and  all  connected 
with  the  monastery  could  safely    retire   with  their  valuables   when   they  were  unable 

otherwise  to  withstand  the  assaults  of  the  Northmen.     They  were  also  bell-towers,  and 
128 


THE  SHANNON. 


.  I         ky ~-'-g 


this  may  be  described  as  their  normal  use.  In  them  hung  the  bell  or  bells  that  sum- 
moned the  various  members  of  the  monastery  to  their  duties,  and  that  announced  the 
various  services  as  they  wire  held. 

During  five  or  six  hundred  years  the  great  tower  of  Clonmacnois  discharged  these 
varied  functions.  It  was  built,  in  Dr.  Petrie's  view,  about  a.  b.  90S.  In  the  Annals 
of  the  Four  Masters,  under  a.  d.  i  124,  we  read  :  "  The  finishing  of  the  cloictheach  [the 
Irish  term  used  to  describe  these  towers,  and  meaning  belfry]  of  Clonmacnois  by 
O'Malone,  successor  of  St.  Kieran."  This  entry  referred  in  all  probability  not  to  the 
erection  but  to  a  restoration  of  the  tower.  And  as  late  as  1 552,  in  the  same  Annals,  the 
following  entry  appears  :  "  Clonmacnois  was  plundered  and  devastated  by  the  Galls 
[  English]  of  Athlone,  and  the  large  bells  were  carried  from  the  cloictheach.  There  was 
not  left,  moreover,  a  bell,  small  or  large,  an  image,  or  an  altar,  or  a  book,  or  a  gem,  or 
even  elass  in  a  window,  from  the  wall  of  the  church  out,  which  was  not  carried 
off.  Lamentable  was  this  deed,  the  plundering  of  the  city  of  Ciaran,  the  holy 
patron." 

Over  a  hundred  specimens  of  these  buildings, 
some  of  them  quite  perfect,  have  survived  to  this 
day.  They  resemble  each  other  in  plan  and  con- 
struction, some  exhibiting  better  masonry  than 
others,  and  local  peculiarities  in  some  instances 
determining  the  position  of  the  windows  and  the 
door.  Usually  this  is  found,  as  shown  in  the  en- 
graving'', about  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground.  This 
fact  strengthens  the  view  that  one  main  purpose 
the  towers  served  was  to  afford  a  safe  refuge. 
When  the  defenders  had  entered  and  the  ladder 
by  which  they  ascended  was  removed,  they  were 
practically  unassailable  by  any  weapons  the 
Northmen  possessed.  These  doors  were  some- 
times decorated  with  ornamental  carvings,  but 
more  generally  consisted  of  simple  arches. 

The  second  tower  at  Clonmacnois  belongs  to 
the    building    known    as   Teampul     Finghin,    or 

Fineen's  Church,  dating,  it  is  supposed,  from  the  tenth  century,  of  which  only  the 
chancel  and  round-tower  remain.  In  this  instance  the  tower  is  perfect.  It  is  much 
smaller  than  its  companion,  being  only  fifty-six  feet  high,  and  the  doorway  is  on  a  level 
with  the  floor  of  the  chancel,  and  opens  into  it. 

Many  interesting  tombstones  exist  at  Clonmacnois,  and  many  interesting  objects  of 
antiquity  have  been  found  there.  Among  these  the  museum  of  the  Royal  Irish  Acad- 
emy in  Dublin  possesses  a  crozier  which  once  belonged  to  the  bishops  of  Clonmacnois, 
and  which  is  a  very  fine  specimen  of  this  kind  of  Irish  art. 

But  here,  as  at  Glendalough,  although  a  minute  acquaintance  with  the  history  and 
archaeology  adds  greatly  to  the  educational  value  of  a  visit,  the  absence  of  this  by  no 
means  destroys  the  interest  of  Clonmacnois.  The  situation  is  lovely,  the  view  of  the 
Shannon  very  fine,  and  the  ride  or  the  row  from   Athlone  enjoyable.     Even  the  most 

superficial  inspection  of  the  towers,  arches,  and  ruined  churches  can  hardly  fail  to  enrich 

129 


DOORWAY  OF   THE    LARGER    ROUND-TOWER 
AT    CLONMACNOIS. 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

the  visitor  with  new  impressions  of  the  vigorous  religious  life  of  Ireland  eight  hundred 
or  a  thousand  years  ago. 

Leaving  Clonmacnois  and  following  the  course  of  the  great  river,  Shannon- 
bridge  and  Banaghel  are  passed,  and  finally  we  reach  Portumna.  Here  a  swivel  bridge 
seven  hundred  and  sixty-six  feet  long  has  replaced  an  earlier  wooden  structure  built  by 
Lemuel  Cox,  the  architect  of  the  still  extant  Waterford  Bridge.  The  district  has  be- 
come notorious  in  recent  years  on  account  of  its  agrarian  troubles.  Into  these,  how- 
ever, it  is  not  our  Junction  to  enter. 

A  few  miles  to  the  east  of  Portumna  is  Birr  or  Parsonstown,  the  residence  of  the  late 
Earl  Rosse,  whose  achievements  in  connection  with  the  telescope  are  well  known.  Birr 
Castle  is  a  fine  pile  of  buildings,  some  portions  of  which  are  very  ancient.  About  1610 
it  came  into  the  possession  of  the  present  family  by  a  grant  on  the  part  of  James  I.  to 
Sir  Lawrence  Parsons.  The  great  telescopes  were  built  by  the  father  of  the  present 
earl  some  fifty  years  ago.  They  are  three  in  number,  and  are  all  reflectors — one  eigh- 
teen inches  in  diameter,  one  three  feet  in  diameter,  and  the  "  great  tele-cope,"  six  feet 
in  diameter  and  sixty  feet  long,  the  largest  astronomical  instrument  in  the  world.  It 
was  first  erected  in  1842,  and,  although  some  improvements  have  been  made  in  the 
mounting,  these  are  not  very  important.  The  concave  mirrors  are  metal  in  all  three, 
that  of  the  Leviathan  weighing  nearly  four  tons.  By  the  aid  of  these  splendid  instru- 
ments the  late  and  the  present  earls  have  added  greatly  to  our  knowledge  of  the  nebulae 
and  of  some  branches  of  astronomical  physics. 

Below  Portumna  the  river  widens  out  into  Lough  Derg,  about  twenty-five  miles 
long,  with  an  average  width  of  from  two  to  three  miles.  The  scenery  along  the  whole 
of  the  lake  is  very  fine,  especially  at  Scariff  Bay.  From  Mount  Shannon  on  the  north 
shore  of  the  bay,  Iniscalthra,  one  of  the  many  holy  islands  of  Ireland,  should  be  visited. 
St.  Caiman  founded  a  monastery  here  in  the  seventh  century.  The  church  he  built  was 
restored  by  Brian  Boru,  and  of  this  building  considerable  ruins  are  still  extant.  There 
is  also  a  fine  round-tower,  partly  ruined,  but  still  eighty  feet  high.  At  the  southern  end 
of  Lough  Derg  is  the  town  of  Killaloe,  once  the  seat  of  power  of  King  Brian  Boru. 
The  situation  of  the  town  is  most  picturesque,  and  it  is  rich  in  the  possession  of  a  very 
ancient  church.  An  abbey  was  founded  here  in  the  sixth  century  by  St.  Molua,  and 
on  its  site  now  stands  the  cathedral,  which  dates  from  the  end  of  the  twelfth  century. 
Hard  by  the  cathedral  is  a  small  stone-roofed  church,  which  Dr.  Petrie  believes  may 
be  referred  to  St.  Flannan,  Molua's  disciple,  who  was  consecrated  Bishop  of  Ki  laloe 
about  a.  d.  639.  On  a  beautiful  wooded  island  in  the  river  stand  the  ruined  nave  and 
choir  of  a  stone-roofed  church  belonging  to  the  oldest  buildings  of  the  class  in  western 
Europe,  and  considered  by  Dr.  Petrie  to  be  a  church  originally  built  by  St.  Molua.  In 
these  days  the  island  is  frequented  by  anglers,  among  whom  it  holds  a  high  character, 
as  affording  ample  facilities  for  their  sport. 

At  Killaloe,  and  between  that  town  and  Limerick,  the  course  of  the  Shannon  is 
broken  by  rapids,  and  consequently  the  water-traffic  between  those  two  places  is 
carried  on  by  canal.  About  midway  between  the  two  towns  is  one  of  the  loveliest  bits 
of  landscape  in  Ireland.  This  place  is  known  as  Castle  Connell,  and  here  occur  what 
are  generally  called  the  Falls  of  Doonass.  The  waters  of  the  Shannon,  which  are  here 
in  some  places  forty  feet  deep  and  three  hundred  yards  wide,  for  a  distance  of  half  a 
mile  rush  and  roar  over  ledges  of  rock  and  huge  bowlders.  The  effect  of  the  scene, 
•3° 


THE  SHANNON. 


which  is  really  very  impressive,  is  due  not  to  anything  like  a  high  fall  ;  it  owes  its  charm 
to  the  fact  that  the  Shannon  makes  a  wide  curve,  the  banks  are  either  precipitous  and 
well-wooded  or  else  bordered  by  fine  and  well-kept  demesnes,  and  rushing  along 
between  the  beautiful  banks  is  the  noble  stream,  its  surface  broken  up  into  falls  and 
whirlpools  and  hurrying  rapids  ;  the  ever-changing  and  yet  ever-constant  forms 
delighting  the  eye,  and  the  varied  tones  of  the  troubled  waters  combining  into  a 
volume  of  sound  delightful  and  refreshing  to  the  ear.1  Few  spots  are  better  suited  for 
a  quiet  walk,  for  a  summer  picnic,  and, 
above  all,  for  the  pursuit  of  Izaak 
Walton's  craft.  Even  a  short  walk 
along  the  river  can  seldom  be  taken 
at  this  point  during  the  season  with- 
out the  sight  of  a  salmon  or  a  trout 
capture.  Nor  is  this  operation  limited 
to  its  legitimate  pursuit.  Walking 
along  the  right  bank  of  the  stream, 
sheltered  corners  are  shown  in  the 
rocks  where  tires  can  be  lit  to  attract 
the  salmon,  and  report  has  it  that 
poaching  after  this  fashion  is  by  no 
means  uncommon. 

Soon  after  leaving  Castle  Connell,  Limerick  is  reached,  by  far 
the  most  important  citj  on  the  Shannon,  one  of  the  important 
centers  of  trade  in  Ireland,  and  a  place  that  has  been  prominent 
in  some  of  the  most  stirring  episodes  in  history.  It  was  founded 
by  the  Danes  in  the  ninth  century.  From  them  it  passed  under 
the  sway  of  the  family  of  Brian  Boru,  thus  attaining  to  the  dignity 
of  the  royal  city  of  Munster.  It  then  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Thomond  kings,  who  ruled  it  during  the  twelfth  century.  King 
John  erected  a  strong  castle  there  ;  it  was  often  besieged  in  the 
thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries.  Elizabeth  made  it  a  center 
of  administration  ;  Ireton  captured  it  in  i65i  ;  in  the  Stuart 
struggle  it  held  with  James  II.,  and,  having  been  unsuccessfully 
assaulted  by  William  III.  in  1690,  in  1691  it  capitulated  under 
the  treaty  which  led  to  a  series  of  events  the  memory  of  which 
has  given  Limerick  the  name  of  the  "  City  of  the  Violated 
Treaty." 

Limerick  is  finely  situated  upon  both  banks  of  the  Shannon  and 
upon  King's  Island,  which  is  formed  by  the  Abbey  River.  It  is 
divided  into  three  main  districts — English  Town,  which  occupies 
the  island,  Irish  Town,  which  lies  to  the  south  of  the  island 
(these  two  constituting  the  Old  Town),  and  Newtown  Pery,  the  chief  business  and 
residential  districts  of  to-day.  From  the  peculiarities  of  its  situation,  Limerick  is  rich 
in  bridges.  Three  cross  the  Shannon,  two  of  them  being  handsome  structures.  One, 
the  Athlunkard  Bridge,  is  hardly  within  the  town.     It  crosses  a  beautiful  reach  of  the 

1  A  dip  in  the  Shannon  is  said  lo  secure  the  gift  of  "  civil  courage." — Ed. 


CROZIER  FOUND  AT 
CLONMACXOIS. 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

river  above  the  city,  and  carries  the  Killaloe  Road.  The  Wellesley  Bridge,  connecting 
Newtown  Pery  with  the  road  from  Ennis,  is  a  fine  specimen  of  modern  engineering,  and 
consists  of  five  arches,  with  a  swivel  on  the  city  side.  Higher  up  the  river  is  Thomond 
Bridge,  rebuilt  in  1839,  which  stands  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  bridge,  and  was  the 
scene  of  many  important  events  in  the  past  history  of  the  city.  Few  towns  in  the 
United  Kingdom  can  exhibit  such  large  structures  so  finely  placed  as  these  two 
bridges. 

At  the  western  end  of  Thomond  Bridge,  raised  upon  a  substantial  pedestal  which 
lifts  it  above  the  reach  of  the  chipping  tourist  or  the  wanton  defacer,  stands  the  stone 
upon  which,  according  to  popular  belief,  the  treaty  of  Limerick  was  signed  in  1691. 
The  history  of  this  famous  negotiation  is  long  and  complex.  One  of  the  articles  stipu- 
lated that  the  Roman-Catholics  should  enjoy  the  same  privileges  in  the  exercise  of  their 
relicion  as  they  had  done  in  the  reign  of  Charles  II.,  and  that  they  were  to  be  protected 
from  religious  persecution.  This  article  does  not  seem  to  have  been  kept,  and  hence, 
the  name  so  frequently  applied  to  Limerick — the  "  City  of  the  Violated  Treaty." 


THOMOND    BRIDGE,  LIMERICK. 

Thomond  Bridge  gains  in  picturesque  beauty  from  the  fact  that  at  the  eastern  end 
stands  King  John's  Castle.  This  has  been  greatly  disfigured  by  the  construction  of  un- 
sightly barracks  within  its  precincts  ;  but  these  have  not  been  able  to  wholly  destroy 
the  fine  effect  of  the  old  turrets  and  towers  rising  above  the  bold  arches  of  the  bridge, 
as  seen  from  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Shannon.  Frowning  down  upon  the  main  ap- 
proach to  English  Town,  the  massive  gateway  and  the  drum  towers  tell  the  tale  of  force 
and  conquest  invariably  associated  here  and  elsewhere  with  the  traces  of  the  Norman 
and  Anglo-Norman  times.  The  only  other  build'ng  likely  to  interest  the  visitor  stands, 
in  English  Town.  This  is  Limerick  Cathedral ;  it  differs  from  many  churches  in  depart- 
ing from  the  crucifix  form,  and  consists  of  three  aisles.  It  is  considered  to  date  from 
the  twelfth  century,  but  it  has  been  so  often  enlarged,  rebuilt,  and  restored  that  prob- 
ably little  if  any  of  the  original  edifice  remains.  The  interior  is  effective,  and  there  are 
many  tombs  in   it,  some  of  considerable  interest  and  merit  ;   the  two   side  aisles  are- 


THE  SHANNON. 

divided  into  chapels.  There  is  a  splendid  tower  at  the  west  end,  and  from  the  top  a 
view  of  this  part  of  the  Shannon  valley  is  obtained  which  no  visitor  who  wishes  to  ap- 
preciate the  beauty  of  the  Limerick  suburbs  should  miss.  At  his  feet  lies  the  city, 
intersected  by  the  rivers,  and  the  eye  can  easily  follow  the  windings  of  the  cramped 
streets  that  occupy  the  older  parts.  Away  on  every  side  stretches  a  fine  expanse  of 
country.  Looking  up  the  Shannon,  the  stream  can  be  traced  a  considerable  part  of  the 
way  toward  Castle  Connell  and  Lough  Derg,  while  below  the  city  it  can  be  seen  hasten- 
ing on  to  the  noble  estuary.  On  every  side  the  view  is  beautifully  framed  in  by  the 
near  or  distant  hills,  which  inclose  one  of  the  most  fertile  districts  of  Ireland. 

The  tower  contains  a  peal  of  bells  noted  for  their  sweetness  of  tone,  and  concerning 
which  the  following  legend  is  related:  "The  founder  of  the  bells,  an  Italian,  having 
wandered  through  many  lands,  at  last,  after  the  lapse  of  long  years,  arrived  in  the 
Shannon  one  summer  evening.  As  he  sailed  up  the  river,  he  started  at  hearing  his 
long-lost  bells  ring  out  a  glorious  chime  ;  with  intensified  attention  he  listened  to  their 
tones,  and  when  his  companions  tried  to  arouse  him  from  his  ecstasy  they  found  he  had 
died  of  joy." 

From  this  point  of  vantage  a  fair  appreciation  of  the  most  brilliant  exploit  performed 
by  Limerick's  military  hero,  Sarsfield,  may  be  obtained.  When,  in  1690,  William  III. 
was  marching  upon  Limerick,  expecting  an  easy  capture,  it  was  only  by  Sarsfield's 
energy  and  courage  that  the  resolution  was  taken  to  resist  to  the  last.  Things  looked 
gloomy  indeed  for  the  Irish  cause.  William  and  his  army  arrived  and  pitched  their 
tents  ;  at  some  distance  in  the  rear  followed  ammunition  trains  and  supplies,  together 
with  some  heavy  ordnance  and  a  bridge  often  boats.  Sarsfield,  with  the  skill  of  a  true 
soldier,  saw  that  his  one  supreme  hope  was  to  destroy  the  enemy's  train.  The  incident 
can  hardly  be  better  described  than  in  Lord  Macaulay's  words  :  "  A  few  hours,  there- 
fore, after  the  English  tents  had  been  pitched  before  Limerick,  Sarsfield  set  forth  under 
cover  of  the  night  with  a  strong  body  of  horse  and  dragoons.  He  took  the  road  to 
Killaloe,  and  crossed  the  Shannon  there  ;  during  the  day  he  lurked  with  his  band  in  a 
wild  mountain  tract  named  from  the  silver-mines  which  it  contains.  He  learned  in  the 
evening  that  the  detachment  which  guarded  the  English  artillery  had  halted  for  the 
night  seven  miles  from  William's  camp  on  a  pleasant  carpet  of  green  turf,  and  under  the 
ruined  walls  of  an  old  castle  ;  that  officers  and  men  seemed  to  think  themselves 
perfectly  secure  ;  that  the  beasts  had  been  turned  loose,  and  that  even  the  sentinels 
"were  dozing.  When  it  was  dark  the  Irish  horsemen  quitted  their  hiding-place,  and 
were  conducted  by  the  people  of  the  country  to  the  spot  where  the  escort  lay  sleeping 
round  the  guns.  The  surprise  was  complete  ;  some  of  the  English  sprang  to  their  arms, 
and  made  an  attempt  to  resist,  but  in  vain  ;  about  sixty  fell,  one  only  was  taken  alive. 
The  victorious  Irish  made  a  huge  pile  of  wagons  and  pieces  of  cannon.  Every  gun 
was  stuffed  with  powder,  and  fixed  with  its  mouth  in  the  ground,  and  the  whole  mass 
was  blown  up.  The  solitary  prisoner,  a  lieutenant,  was  treated  with  great  civility  by 
Sarsfield.  '  If  I  had  failed  in  this  attempt,'  said  the  gallant  Irishman,  '  I  should  have 
been  off  to  France.'  " 

Sarsfield  returned  to  Limerick,  William  was  compelled  to  retreat,  and  it  was  not 
until  the  following  year  that  Sarsfield  honorably  capitulated  to  Ginkell,  and  retired  with 
a  part  of  his  army  to  France.     A  fine  statue  of  the  general  now  adorns  one  of  the 

streets  of  the  city. 

133 


IRELAND   ILL  USTRA  TED. 

Limerick  has  some  fine  streets  and  handsome  buildings  ;  the  former  are  thronged  by 
many  varieties  of  Irish  society,  and  by  not  a  few  of  the  fair  sex,  whose  beauty  has  added 
to  the  fame  of  the  city.  William  Street  and  George  Street  are  good  thorouo-hfares, 
crowded  with  business-houses  and  attractive  shops.  At  the  same  time  it  must  be  admit- 
ted that  Limerick,  even  more  than  many  Irish  centers  of  trade,  presents  those  ruined 
and  dismantled  houses,  even  in  the  better-class  streets,  which  strike  the  traveler's  eye 
so  curiously  and  unfavorably.  The  Roman -Catholic  Cathedral  of  St.  John  is  a  fine 
Gothic  structure.      Beyond  the  top  of  George  Street  is  the  Convent  of  St.  Vincent, and 


THE  TREATY  STONE,  LIMERICK. 


not  far  away  is  a  large  and  handsome  church.     One 
week  evening  the    writer   saw  this    building,  which 
is    capable    of   holding    seventeen    hundred    people, 
crammed   to  the  doors  by  men  who  had  come — and 
whom  he  was  informed  came  regularly  every  week — 
to  a  service  in  connection  with  the  religious  and  tem- 
perance guild   worked  by  the  Redemptorist  Fathers, 
to    whom    the    church    belongs.       Two   services    are 
held  each  week,  both  thronged,  and  the  guild  numbers 
five  thousand  men. 
Limerick  has  long  been  a  center  of  considerable  trade,  and,  although  at  the  present 
time  (1888)  there  is  great  depression  in  shipping  and  American  competition  has  practi- 
cally destroyed  Irish  flour-mills,  nevertheless  there  is  considerable  commercial  activity  in 
the  city.     Lace  of  a  very  superior  quality  has  long  been  produced  here  ;  also  fishhooks 
of  a  fine  temper.     The  industry  that  exhibits  to  the  stranger  most  signs  of  prosperity 
and  extent  is  connected  with  one  of  the  staple  productions  of  the  land — the  ever-present 
pig — and  expends  great  energy  and  capital  upon  the  speediest  and  best  ways  of  convert- 
134 


THE  SHANNON. 

ing  him  into  bacon  and  hams.  There  is  a  mistaken  idea  current  that  this  process  can  be 
seen  to  advantage  only  in  the  United  States  ;  that  is  a  great  delusion.  There  are  larger 
pig-killing  establishments  at  Cincinnati  and  Chicago,  doubtless,  but  at  none  of  them  is 
there  a  greater  combination  of  smartness,  neatness,  cleanliness,  and  high  quality  of  the 
bacon  and  ham  than  at  Limerick.  l'>y  the  courtesy  of  the  proprietors,  the  writer  was 
enabled  to  go  over  the  establishment  of  Messrs.  Shaw  and  Sons.  Multitudes  of  those 
pigs  which  are  to  he  seen  by  almost  ever)-  cabin  door  in  Ireland,  and  which  swarm  at 
every  market  and  fair,  find  their  way  here.  The  buyers,  the  sharpest  and  in  some  re- 
spects the  most  important  members  of  the  staff,  are  constantly  securing  in  all  parts  of  the 
country  hundreds  and  thousands  of  pigs.  They  are  not  kept  long  in  an  active  state. 
Very  soon  after  the  porker's  arrival  it  becomes  his  turn  to  be  chained  by  the  hind  leg, 
swung  up  to  an  iron  bar,  and,  before  he  has  had  time  to  utter  more  than  two  or  three  of  his 
shrill  protests,  a  sure  and  strong  hand  cuts  short  his  life.     In  the  course  of  the  next  few 


*S&» 


KILKEE.  FROM  THE  COASTGUARD  STATION. 


minutes  he  passes  through  a  series  of  pro- 
cesses which  result  in  his  beino-  cleansed, 
prepared,  weighed,  and  deposited  in  the 
huge  room  where  he  awaits  his  turn  to  be  made  into  bacon  and  hams.  The  rate  at  which 
this  work  is  done  can  be  gauged  from  the  fact  that  sometimes  one  hundred  are  weighed 
within  the  hour.  Strange  as  it  may  sound,  all  these  processes  are  done  cleanly  ;  and  by 
exceedingly  ingenious  arrangements  of  sliding  rods  it  is  very  seldom  necessary  for  the 
animal  to  be  placed  upon  the  shoulders  of  men.  It  is  only  by  going  over  an  establish- 
ment of  this  kind  that  some  notion  of  the  magnitude  of  the  Irish  bacon  trade  is  obtained. 
Few,  probably,  think  that  the  shaping  of  a  ham  has  anything  special  about  it,  until  they 
see  the   rough  ham  taking  a  neat  and  shapely  form  under  knives  used  by  skillful  hands. 

On  leaving  Limerick  in  the  Kilrush  boat,  the  shipping  trade  is  seen  in  active  oper- 
ation along  the  quays.  This,  unfortunately,  is  not  so  brisk  as  it  use  to  be  ;  but  it  still 
represents  a  large  capital.  The  trip  to  the  estuary  occupies  several  hours,  and  is  full 
of  enjoyment  to  those  fond  of  river  scenery.  The  bridges,  quays,  castle,  spires,  and 
cathedral  of  Limerick  soon  disappear  in  the  distance,  and  Carrig-O-Gunnell,  the  first  ot 
the  many  ruined  castles  of  this  district,  comes  into  view.     A   few  miles  inland  is  Mun- 

135 


IRELAND   ILL USTRA  TED. 


gret,  once  a  great  center  of 
Irish  learning,  its  abbey,  now 
a    ruin,   formerly   accommo- 
dating no  fewer  than   fifteen 
^hundred  monks  ;     and,  farther  in- 
land still,   Adare,    the  lovely    seat 
of    Lord    Dunraven,     famous    not 
only  for  Adare  Manor,  one  of  the 
finest  houses  in   Ireland,    but  also 
for   a    wonderful    group    of    ruins. 
These  consist  of  a  castle,  the  Trini- 
tarian    Friary     1230,    the     Austin 
Friary  1306,  the  Franciscan  Friary  1464,  and  two  ancient  churches.     The  late   earl  was 
an    enthusiastic  lover  of  Irish  antiquities,  as  his  great  work,  Notes  on  Irish   Architec- 
136 


CLIFFS   NEAR   KILKEE. 


THE  SHANNON. 

tore,  proves  ;  and  these  ruins  are  carefully  looked  after.     There  is  nothing  of  the  kind 
more  beautiful  in  the  country. 

Ruined  castles  arc  not  quite  so  frequent  along  the  lower  valley  of  the  Shannon  as 
on  the  Rhine,  nor  are  they  quite  so  picturesquely  situated  ;  but,  like  their  more  noted 
brethren,  they  speak  of  a  time  when  violence  was  rampant,  when  men  took  what  they 


CLIFFS  AND  NATURAL   ARCH    NEAR  BALLY 
BUNNION. 


could  get  by  the  strong  right  hand,  and 
kept  it  only  as  long  as  they  remained 
stronger  than  their  turbulent  neigh- 
bors. The  old  keeps  alternate  with 
fine  modern  country  seats,  this  district 
now,  no  less  than  in  the  past,  being  a 

place  of  residence  desired  by  many.  Leaving  Bunratty  Castle,  a  massive  ruin,  on  the 
right  hand,  and  crossing  the  mouth  of  the  Fergus,  which  is  really  a  wide  bay,  Foynes, 
the  terminus  of  the  railway,  is  reached;  a  few  miles  farther  the  seat  of  the  Knight  of  Glin 
is  passed,  and  finally  Tarbert  is  reached.  The  river  at  this  part  is  exceedingly  lovely. 
Below  Tarbert  the  stream  broadens  out  into  a  magnificent  estuary,  forming  a  splendid 
approach  to  the  heart  of  the  country.  A  run  of  eight  or  nine  miles  in  a  northwesterly 
direction  brings  the  vessel  to  Kilrush.  On  the  left,  the  ruined  churches,  the  round- 
tower,  and  the  tiny  hamlets  of  Scattery  Island  are  in  full  view.  But  before  this  can  be 
duly  enjoyed,  the  pier  is  reached,  and  any  imaginative  excursion  into  those  far-distant 
days  when  St.  Senan  crossed  to  the  island  in  a  coracle  very  similar  to  those  still  to  be 
seen  on  the.  beach  is  promptly  terminated  by  the  discordant  shouts  of  the  car-drivers 

137 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

on  the  quay,  each  hailing  some  old  employer,  or  eager  to  secure  a  prey  before  arrival 
succeeds.  For  in  Kilrush  there  is  little  of  interest,  and  most  of  those  who  come  by  the 
boat  have  as  their  goal  Kilkee. 

This  is  the  fashionable  watering-place  of  the  district,  and,  although  Miltown  Malbay, 
and  Lahinch  are  making  a  strong  bid  for  favor,  the  accommodation  at  Kilkee  is  still  far 
ahead  of  any  that  can  be  shown  by  its  enterprising  rivals.  The  drive  from  Kilrush  is 
about  nine  miles,  and  not  specially  interesting.  This  is  a  drawback  ;  but  few  who  reach 
the  little  seaside  place  regret  the  trouble  expended  in  getting  there.  The  coast  of  Clare 
is  wild  and  rocky  in  the  extreme.  At  Kilkee  a  semicircular  bay  has  been  formed,  with 
good  sands,  and  protected  from  the  inrush  of  the  Atlantic  by  an  ugly  ledge  of  rock.  It 
is  in  keeping  with  this  terrible  west  coast  that,  even  when  a  rare  harbor,  as  at  Kilkee, 
does  occur,  it  should  be  rendered  very  difficult  to  enter  except  in  fine  weather.  Around 
the  bay,  and  especially  on  the  southern  side  (the  West  End,  as  it  is  called,)  cluster  the 
houses  occupied  by  visitors  in  the  summer,  and  deserted  for  the  most  part  in  the  winter. 
The  coast  walks  are  very  fine,  and  the  air  is  very  fresh  and  bracing.  Any  who  love,  or 
who  need,  the  wind  that  blows  in  from  the  sea  can  here  obtain  it  in  remarkable  purity. 
Those  who  enjoy  a  holiday  more  if  they  are  accompanied  by  their  children,  can  see  them 
sport  in  the  sands  at  Kilkee  with  equanimity,  knowing  that  there  they  are  safe,  and  cer- 
tain to  enjoy  themselves. 

Those  who  rejoice  in  wild,  fantastic  rock  scenery  should  be  happy  at  Kilkee.  All 
along  this  coast  the  waves  of  the  Atlantic  in  the  course  of  ages  have  washed  away  all 
the  softer  material  from  huge  pillars  of  rock  that  yet  defy  the  power  of  the  sea  and  ap- 
pear to  stand  as  sentinels  along  the  shore.  In  some  parts  the  angles  are  such  that  a  slight 
exercise  of  the  imagination  can  transform  prominent  points  along  the  coast  into  giant 
faces  looking  down  sardonically  upon  the  waves  breaking  and  roaring  helplessly  at  their 
feet.  On  Bishop's  Island  is  a  very  good  example  of  a  beehive  oratory  and  a  house,  none 
the  less  interesting  from  the  fact  that  it  can  be  fairly  well  studied  from  the  mainland. 
Caves  and  natural  arches  abound  both  north  and  south  of  Kilkee.  We  give  an  engrav- 
ing of  a  curious  natural  arch  to  be  seen  near  Ballybunnion,  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Shannon  estuary,  opposite  the  ruins  of  Carrigaholt  Castle,  once  the  stronghold  of  the 
MacMahons.  In  fine  weather  boating  enables  the  curious  to  look  closely  upon  the 
weird  cliff  forms  and  the  really  wonderful  rock  faces  of  this  coast ;  while  in  rough 
weather  it  may  be  some  consolation  to  go  and  watch  the  sea  at  its  fantastic  tricks  in  the 
Puffing-Hole. 


138 


>v 


BLESSING   THE   CLADDAGH    FLEET   AT   THE   BEGINNING    OF   THE    FISHING   SEASON. 
(From  a  Sketch  by  Charles   IVhymper.) 


CHAPTER     VII. 


CONNEMARA. 

IALWAY  is  the  proper  starting-point  for  excursions  into  the  splen- 
did mountain  country  of  Connemara  ;  but  as  we  closed  our  last 
chapter  at  Kilkee,  it  may  be  well  to  resume  our  travels  from  that 
point.  The  drive  from  Kilkee  to  Miltown  Malbay  runs  near  the 
coast,  affording  here  and  there  some  good  views,  but  chiefly  in- 
teresting  because  it  traverses  a  fairly  good  agricultural  district  of 
County  Clare,  and  enables  the  traveler  to  see  for  himself  what 
kind  of  land  the  Clare  peasants  have  to  work,  and  what  are  the 
^1%/  external  appearances  of  one  of  the  great  centers  of  agrarian  dis- 

turbance. The  West  Clare  Railway  is  now  open  to  Miltown  Malbay,  and  the  traveler 
pressed  for  time  can  go  via  Ennis  direct  by  rail  to  Galway.  Much  the  more  interesting 
route  is  to  keep  along  the  coast,  visiting  the  cliffs  of  Moher,  then  striking  inland  to  Lis- 
doonvarna,  and  crossing  Galway  Bay  from  Ballyvaughan. 

There  are  several  famous  stretches  of  cliff  scenery  on  the  west  coast  of  Ireland — Mo- 
her, Crogan  on  Achill  Island,  the  cliffs  between  Ballina  and  Belmullet,  Horn  Head,  and 

141 


IRE  LA  XD  ILL  USTRA  TED. 


Slieve  League.     The  last    is   the  most  picturesque,  and  impresses   most  powerfully  the 
imagination,  but  the  connoisseur  should  make  a  point  of  inspecting  them  all.     The  cliffs 

of  Moher  extend  for  several  miles  along 
the  coast  of  Clare,  reaching  in  one  or  two 
parts  an  altitude  of  from  six  hundred  to 
seven  hundred  feet.  The  best  time  to  see 
them  is  during  a  westerly  gale.  On  a 
clear  day  the  view  from  the  tower  shown 
in  the  engraving  is  very  comprehensive, 
extending  over  the  Connemara  Higdi- 
lands  northward,  and  westward  and  south- 
ward from  the  Isles  of  Arran  at  the  mouth 
of  Galway  Bay  to  Loop  Head,  the  ex- 
treme point  of  the  promontory  forming 
the  shore  north  of  the  Shannon  estuary. 
Lisdoonvarna  is  a  spa,  and  those  wish- 
ful to  do  so  can  there  partake  of  either 
chalybeate  or  sulphur  water,  and  at  the 
same  time  study  the  habits  of  those  who 
frequent  the  Irish  Cheltenham. 

But  most  visitors,  after  seeing  Moher, 
prefer  to  leave  these  tamer  beauties  for 
the  more  rugged  scenes  of  the  north,  and 
make  all  speed  to  Galway.  Or,  if  com- 
ing from  Dublin,  they  will  take  the  ex- 
press of  the  Midland  Great  Western 
Railway.  By  this  route  the  visitor  runs 
across  the  great  central  plain  of  the 
country,  and  over  the  extensive  dreary 
tracts  of  the  Bog  of  Allen,  which  at 
parts  extends  for  miles  along  both  sides 
of  the  railway.  But  even  here  the  dark 
brown  coloring,  the  dead  level,  the  evi- 
dences of  peat-cutting,  and  the  accentu- 
ated monotony  of  the  landscape,  com- 
bine to  interest  those  who  see  them  for 
the  first  time.  These  peat  bogs  make  up 
a  very  considerable  proportion  of  the  soil 
of  the  country,  occupying  no  less  than 
2,830,000  acres,  and  they  arouse  curiosity 
as  to  their  origin.  Since,  like  coal,  they 
exhibit  no  marine  fossils,  they  are  not 
due  to  the  action  of  the  sea.  But  the  evi- 
dence shows  that  they  have  been  formed 
by  mossy  growths  either  in  forests  or  upon  the  sediment  deposited  in  hollows  or  fresh- 
Water  lakes.  The  continuous  growth  and  decay  during  the  lapse  of  ages  has  slowly 
142 


THE    CLIFFS   OF   MOHEK. 


CONNEMARA. 

built  up  the  peat,  which  now  varies  from  twenty  to  forty  feet  in  thickness,  and  which 
supplies  over  a  great  part  of  Inland  the  lack  of  coal.  The  great  bog  district  over  which 
the  railroad  to  Galway  runs  is  believed  to  be  due  to  the  growth  of  peat-producing  plants 
destroying  the  original  oak  forest,  this  being  succeeded  by  firs,  and  these  also  perishing 

in  turn. 

Peat-cutting  is  one  of  the  commonest  and  most  characteristic  occupations  in  Ireland. 


PEAT    CUTTING. 
(From  a  sketch  by  Charles   Whymper.) 


Our  engraving  illustrates  the  process  in  some  parts  of  Connaught,  though  the  com- 
moner method  is  to  cut  the  peat  from  above,  the  operator  with  the  spade  standing  upon 
the  portion  to  be  cut  away,  and  detaching  the  blocks  vertically,  not  horizontally.  The 
peat  is  cut  into  pieces  much  the  size  and  shape  of  a  brick.  It  is  piled  in  the  first  in- 
stance loosely  by  the  side  of  the  trench  from  which  it  i;  cut.  When  sufficiently  dried 
there,  it  is  stacked,  as  shown  by  the  piles  in  the  distance,  and  it  is  then  carried  or  carted 
by  horses,  ponies  or  donkeys  to  the  place  where  it  is  to  be   sold   or  consumed.     Most 

M3 


IRELAXD  ILLUSTRATED. 

travelers  in  Ireland  at  some  stage  of  their  journeyings  have  reason  to,  and  very  readily 
can,  assure  themselves  of  the  heat-giving  qualities  of  peat. 

Passing  first  Mullingar,  that  Mecca  oi  anglers,  then  Athlone,  already  described,  and 
finally  Athenry,  with  its  ruined  castle,  ancient  gateway,  and,  if  seen  on  market  day, 
picturesque  throng  of  Galway  peasants,  the  train  steams  into  the  spacious  Galway 
terminus,  adjoining  which  is  the  l.uge  hotel  built  in  the  hope  that  Galway  would  become, 
what  it  doubtless  ought  to  be,  a  great  port  for  the  American  trade. 

The  curious  man  may  ramb'e  about  Galway,  and  find  much  to  interest  him  at  every 
turn.  The  streets  are  for  the  most  part  narrow,  winding,  and  irregular.  The  houses 
form  a  strange  jumble.  Side  by  side  with  substantial  buildings  of  the  most  approved 
nineteenth-century  type,  stand  houses  which  carry  the  observer  back  to  the  sixteenth 
century  ;  and  if  in  their  courtyards  he  were  to  see  a  group  of  Philip  the  Second's 
Spaniards,  he  could  hardly  be  surprised.   There  is  the  same  strange  variety  in  the  faces 


QUEEN  S    COLLEGE,    GALWAY. 

to  be  seen.  Here,  if  nowhere  else,  the  supposed  typical  Irishman  is  to  be  met,  in  tall 
hat  and  knee-breeches,  with  the  short  up-turned  nose,  small  forehead,  and  receding  chin. 
Here  also  in  the  crowd  follow  faces  that  recall  one  after  another  the  Dane,  the  Saxon, 
the  Spaniard,  and  the  Celt.  Here  more,  perhaps,  than  in  most  popular  centers  in  Ire- 
land the  mixed  character  of  the  Irish  people  becomes  evident. 

There  are  but  few  buildings  in  the  town  of  any  special  merit;  Eyre  Square  contains 
the  best  of  the  modern  structures.  Lynch's  mansion,  in  Abbeygate  Street,  is  a  fine  ex- 
ample of  the  kind  of  house  the  Spanish  merchants  lived  in  three  centuries  ago.  St. 
Nicholas  Church  is  well  worth  a  visit  ;  the  requirements  of  modern  education  are  met 
by  the  Queen's  College,  a  fine  Gothic  building,   which  stands  on  the  western  bank_of 

the  River  Corrib,  in  the  northern  suburbs. 
144 


COXNEMARA. 

The  town  possesses  a  very  fine  harbor,  and  around  it  centers  much  of  the  business. 
Into  this  harbor  empties  the  Corrib,  the  outlet  of  the  two  great  lakes  Lough  Mask  and 
Lough  Corrib,  a  shallow,  rock)-,  rushing  stream,  in  which  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year 
the  salmon  are  to  be  seen  in  such  numbers  that — to  use  the  colloquial  phrase — "  you 
might  walk  across  upon  their  backs."  The  current  is  too  rapid  and  the  bed  too  shallow 
for  navigation  through  the  town,  and  the  Eglinton  Canal  connects  the  harbor  for  traffic 
purposes  with  the  upper  part  of  the  Corrib.  Few  rivers  rival  the  Corrib  in  the  abun- 
dance of  salmon,  and,  while  every  facility  is  offered  for  legitimate  sport,  a  good  ileal  of 
poaching  of  the  kind  known  in  the  engraving  is  there  carried  on,  if  report  in  this  in- 
stance speaks  truly. 


SALMON-POACHING    ON   THE   CORRIB. 
(From  a  sketch  by  Charles   IVhymper.} 


At  the  mouth  of  the  harbor,  and  forming  the  southernmost  quarter  of  the  town,  is 
the  Claddagh,  a  district  inhabited  solely  by  a  clan  of  fishermen  and  their  families  ;  they 
live  in  low  thatched  huts,  and  are  engaged  for  the  most  part  in  the  herring  fishery.  By 
some  authorities  they  have  been  considered  of  Spanish  descent,  while  others,  with  more 
reason,  hold  that  they  are  of  Celtic  origin.  "  The  commerce  between  Galway  and 
Spain  was,  no  doubt,  at  one  time  very  extensive  and  important.  The  Spanish  style  of 
many  of  the  houses  now  in  ruins,  the  traditions  and  authentic  records,  prove  that  Gal- 
way was  in  old  times  a  very  thriving,  busy,  gay,  and  luxurious  city.     No  doubt  many 

145 


IRELAND   ILLUSTRATED. 


Spanish  merchants  lived  in  Gahvay.  and  intermarried  with  natives  long  before  the  stern 
old  Warden  condemned  his  own  son  to  death  for  slaying  a  Spanish  rival.     A  Spanish 
face  may  still  be  seen  in  and   about  Galvvay — once  in  a  week  or  so  ;  but  it  appears  to 
me  quite  certain  that  the  Claddagh,  above  all  other  people,  had  no  intermarriage  with 
Spaniards.     In  proof  of  this,  their  present  names  are  nearly  all  Irish,  such  as  Connolly, 
O'Connor,  O' Flaherty  ;  there  are  some  English  and  Welsh,  as  Jones,  Brown,  and  Bar- 
rett ;  those  first   mentioned,   however,  form  the  great  majority.     The  Christian  names 
are  generally  Scriptural,  as  John,  Matthew,  Michael,  Paul,  also  Patrick,  Catharine,  etc.; 
but  they  have  this  remarkable  peculiarity :  that  there  are  so  many  persons  of  the  same 
name  that  they  are  distinguished  in   the  Irish  language  by  the  names  of fishes;  thus, 
Jack  the  hake,  Bill  the  cod,  Joe  the  eel,  etc.  The  men  and  women   of  the  Claddagh,  and 
indeed  of  Galway  County  generally,  are  very  fond  of  gay  dress  and  bright  colors  ;  the 
countrywomen  often  wear  red  cloaks,  but  the  Claddagh  women  wear  blue  cloaks  and  red 
petticoats ;  the  fishermen  wear  jackets,  breeches,  and  stockings  home-made  and  light  blue. 
The  women  often  go  barefoot,  and   wear  the  short  blue  cloak,  bed- 
gown, and  red  petticoat;   the  headdress  is  a  kerchief  of  bright  colors. 
"There  are  no  braver  men  at  sea  than  the  Claddagh  fishermen  when 
they  go  off  with  the   priestly  benediction   and  the   blessed   salt  and 
ashes.      On  land  too  they  can   show  courage  when  it  is  called  forth 
and  sustained  by  the  consciousness  of  right.      A  few  years  ago  they 
completely  routed  a  considerable  body  of  dragoons  by  casting  showers 
of  heavy  stones  from  their  slings.      By  the  way,  casting  pebbles  from 
the  sling  is  an  amusement  and  a  mode  of  warfare   peculiar  to   the 
Claddagh  men  at  the  present  day.      Since  the  famine,  this  and  other 
sports  have  been  held  in  abeyance,  but  it  was  formerly  usual  for  them 
to   have  slinging-matches  ;    and  when  a  man  was  able  to  strike  a  shil- 
ling as  far  as  it  could  be  seen,  it   was  considered  a  good  shot.      It 
must  be  refreshing  to  a  Christian   of  any  sect,  who  has  seen  much  of 
the   despairing  infidelity  and  brutalizing  wretchedness  of  some  parts  of 
England,  to  witness  even  the  superstitions  of  this  simple,  patient,  and 
joyous  people.      They  believe   in   the  actual  presence  of  God  among 
them,  and  do  everything  in   his   name.      It  is  worthy  of  remark  that 
they   never  by  any  chance  salute   or  speak  to  each  other  without  the 
name  of  God.    I  almost  regretted  to  learn  that  the  priests  are  discountenancing  their  old 
amiable  superstitions.     I  may  be  excused  for  these  allusions  to  the  religion  of  this  race, 
for  certainly  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  men  form  the  most  interesting  phase  of  human 
study;    and  it  might  be  a  question  with  the  social   reformer  whether  these  people  in 
their  ignorance  and  poverty  are   not  happier  than  the  rich,  in  whom  the  emotional 
element  is  comparatively  dull,  and  who  feel  less  acutely  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  the 
battle   of  life.       Here   in   this   remote    west   the    historian,    also,    may   see    in    fine 
preservation   much  of  the  life  and  feeling  of  the   Middle   Ages,  while  all  is  changed 
in   the   go-ahead    world    around.       Like    seamen    everywhere,    the    Claddagh    men 
have  their  lucky  and  unlucky  days,  and  woe  to  him  who  dares  to  cast  a  line  on  an 
unpropitious      morning.        Formerly    they    would     not    on    any  account    commence 

the  fishing-season  unless  the  priest  went  along  with  them  and  in  regular  form  pro- 
146 


HOOK  FOR  POACH 
ING   SALMON, 


CONNEMARA. 


nounced  a  blessing  on   the  day,  the  boat  with  the  priest  sailing  out  at  the  head  of  the 
fleet. 

"  The  appearance  of  the  village  of  Claddagh  is  dirty,  but  the  houses  are  clean 
enough  inside  ;  and  be  it  known  that  before  the  famine  their  houses  were  models  of 
cleanliness ;  and  we  must  recollect  that  those  manure-heaps  which  frequently  offend 
the  eye  in  Irish  villages  have  no  of- 
fensive odor,  on  account  of  the  de- 
odorizing power  of  the  peat  which 
forms  a  large  portion  of  the  compost. 
The  men  and  women  have  generally 
dean  linen,  although  often  covered 
with  rags.  It  is  a  general  fact 
worthy  of  note  that  in  Ireland  a  dirty 
■outside  generally  covers  a  clean 
heart."1 

Among  the  groups  gathered  at 
the  fish-market  or  clustering  around 
•Galway  Harbor,  the  stranger  will 
occasionally  see  men  dressed  like 
the  one  depicted  in  the  engraving. 
He  exhibits  a  facial  type  not  com- 
mon in  the  crowd,  he  wears  very 
distinctive  knee-breeches  or  knick- 
erbockers, and  his  shoes,  technically 
known  as  pampootas,  are  made  of 
untanned  cowhide  with  the  hair  left 
on,  cut  low  at  the  sides,  with  a  nar- 
row pointed  piece  to  cover  the  toes. 
It  is  said  that  experience  has  proved 
that  such  shoes  or  sandals  as  these 
are  best  suited  for  the  rocky  soil 
such  men  have  to  tread.  And  when 
the  stranger,  his  curiosity  aroused, 
desires  to  know  whence  these  men 
come,  he  discovers  that  they  are  " 
from  the  Arran  Islands.  These  are 
three  rocky  islands  lying  off  the 
mouth  of  Galway  Bay,  abounding 
in  ruins  of  the  most  remarkable 
kind,  and  inhabited  by  a  simple  and 
kindly  race  of  peasant  fishermen. 
To  describe  in  any  detail  the  noted 
ruins  upon  these  islands  would  require 
as   Dun    Aeneus. 


AN   ARRAN   ISLANDER. 

(From  a  sketch  by  Charies  Wkymper.) 


small  volume.     The  most  famous  is  known 
It  is  a  massive   stone   fort  built    in    prehistoric    times    upon    the 
■very  verge  of  the  western  cliff  of  Inishmore,  the  largest  of  the  group.      It  is  generally 

1  The  Ulster  Journal  of  Archeology,  vol.  ii,  pp.  162-165. 

i*7 


IRELAXD  ILLUSTRATED. 

conceded  that  this  represents  one  of  the  last  strongholds  defended  by  the  original  in- 
habitants of  Ireland,  and  is  supposed  to  date  from  about  the  first  century  a.  d.  '  A 
steamer  runs  regularly  to  these  islands,  and  they  are  full  of  interest  both  to  the  anti- 
quary and  to  the  tourist  who  ever  yearns  for  "  fresh  fields  and  pastures  new." 

On  these  islands,  at  places  like  Barna,  in  Galway  Bay,  and  in  fact  almost  universally 
along  the  western  coast,  the  traveler  meets  and  can  readily  test  the  seaworthy  qualities 
of  the  curragh,  the  representative  of  the  ancient  coracle.  These  boats,  made  of  tarred 
canvas  stretched  over  a  light  frame,  frail  as  they  seem,  can  live  in  very  rough  weather, 
and  are  managed  with  very  great  skill  by  the  boatmen.  Their  chief  defect  is  that  they 
make  much  leeway  when  there  is  a  strong  breeze.      But  any  one  who  wishes  to  make 


^T£,or^ 


'="2i£ 


THE   CURRAGH. 

(From  sketches  by  Charles  IVkymper.) 


a  voyage  along  this  coast  in  much  the  same  fashion  as  the  Christian  missionaries  in  the 
fifth  and  sixth  centuries  can  do  so  by  employing  the  modern  curragh. 

After  exhausting  in  a  more  or  less  rapid  fashion  the  sights  of  Galway  and  the  neigh- 
borhood, most  travelers  push  on  into  the  wilds  of  Connemara.  Loughs  Corrib  and 
Mask,  together  with  the  village  of  Cong,  lie  at  the  beginning  of  the  route.  During  the 
summer  a  steamer  sails  daily  from  Galway  to  Cong,  traversing  Lough  Corrib,  which  is 
not  only  one  of  the  largest  but  also  one  of  the  loveliest  in  Ireland.  It  covers  an  area 
of  no  less  than  forty-four  thousand  acres.  It  is  studded  with  islets,  the  most  important 
being  Inchagoill,  or  "  the  island  of  the  devout  foreigner,"  which  contains  an  ancient 
graveyard,  and  the  ruins  of  two  very  old  Irish  churches.  The  more  ancient  of  the  two 
is  known  as  Teampull   Phaidrig,   or  St.  Patrick's   Church,  and  has  claims  by  no  means 

1  Elaborate  deiails  with  regard  to  the  antiquarian  relics  on  these  islands  are  given  in  such  works  as  Petrie's  Round -Towers,  Dun- 
raven's  Notes  on  Irish  Architecture.,  and  Miss  Stokes's  Early  Christian  Architecture  in  Ireland. 
148 


CONXEMARA. 

despicable  to  be  considered  as  belonging  to  the  age  of  the  great  Irish  missionary. 
There  is,  morever,  upon  Inchagoill  a  stone  monument  bearing  the  inscription,  "  the 
stone  of  Lugnaedon,  son  of  Limenueh."  The  latter  is  generally  held  to  have  been  a 
sister  of  St.  Patrick.  Experts  have  decided  that  on  palaiographical  grounds  the  inscrip- 
tion can  not  be  referred  to  a  later  date  than  the  very  beginning  of  the  sixth  century. 

The  second  church,  Teampull-na-Neave,  "  the  Church  of  the  Saint,"  is  several  cen- 
turies younger  than  St.  Patrick's,  and  presents  to  the  student  of  church  architecture  a 
very  fine  example  of  the  decorated,  circular-arched,  cluster-pillared  doorway. 

On  the  isthmus  connecting  Loughs  Corrib  and  Mask  stands  the  village  of  Cong,  the 
name  being  derived  from  the  Irish  word  Cunga,  which  means  a  neck.  About  the  year 
1010  Cony,"  was  the  seat  of  a  bishopric,  and  there  are  still  extant  the  ruins  of  a  very  fine 


CONG   ABBEY. 


abbey  dating  from  the  twelfth  century.  It  belonged  to  the  wealthy  order  of  St.  Augus- 
tine. During  the  last  fifty  or  sixty  years  the  remains  have  suffered  severely  from  the 
depredations  of  those  who  considered  and  used  it  as  a  handy  quarry.  It  was  famous 
in  early  days  for  wealth  and  ecclesiastical  treasures  ;  of  the  latter  the  famous  Cross  of 
Cong,  already  described,  is  a  good  example. 

Roderick  O'Connor,  who  is  often  described  as  the  last  king  of  Ireland,  died  here 
in  i  198.  The  popular  view,  that  he  was  also  interred  in  Cong  Abbey,  is  incorrect,  he 
having  been  buried  at  Clonmacnois.      But  here  he  spent  the  last  fifteen  years  of  his  life. 

**  Standing  between  the  river  and  the  abbey,  the  picture  naturally  rises  before  us  of  the 

149 


IRELAND   ILLUSTRATED. 


THE  OUTLET  OF  LOUGH  MASK. 

ancient  monarch,  broken  down  by  the  calamities 
which  his  family  was  suffering'  from,  a  foreign  in- 
vasion, which  he  was  no  longer  able  to  resist,  but 
still  more  so  by  the  opposition  and  ingratitude  of  his  own  children  and  relatives — 
passing  up  the  river  with  his  retinue,  landing  here  n  1 1  S3,  and  received  by  the  Lord 
Abbot  and  his  canons  and  friars,  and  then  takh  g  leave  of  his  faithful  adherents  at  the 
water's  edge,  being  conducted  in  procession  to  the  abbey,  which,  it  is  said,  his  muni- 
ficence had  endowed.  There  as  a  recluse,  untrammeled  by  the  weight  of  state  affairs 
and  possibly  unaffected  by  the  quarrels  of  his  chieftains  and  kinsfolk,  the  Last  Monarch 
of  Ireland,  abdicating  his  authority  because  the  country  no  longer  supported  him,  died, 
a  sad  but  fitting  and  prophetic  emblem  of  the  land  over  which  he  had  ruled."1 

Not  far  from  Cong  is  the  Plain  of  Moytura,  wheie  one  of  those  famous  battles, — 


1  S.r  W.  Wil.le's  Lough  Corrie,  \>.  181. 


150 


CONNEMARA. 

half-historic,  half-mythic, — lasting  three  days,  took  place  in  the  dawn  of  Irish  history 
between  the  Firbolgs  and  the  Tuatha  de  Danaan.  Those  who  wish  to  get  some  accurate 
notion  of  what  really  took  place  on  that  occasion  can  not  do  better  than  consult  Sir  W. 
Wilde's  Lough  Corrib,  where  they  will  find  the  history  of  the  great  struggle  minutely 
traced. 

Lough  Mask  is  about  nine  miles  long  and  four  wide,  in  a  very  beautiful  part  of  the 
country,  abounding  in  traces  of  ruined  castles  and  churches.  The  river  connecting  the 
two  lakes  runs  parti)-  under  ground,  and  we  are  able  to  give  an  engraving  of  one  part 
of  this  subterranean  channel  where  it  is  easily  accessible  and  widens  out  into  what  is 
known  as  the  Pigeon  Hole.  The  lively  Celtic  imagination,  which  has  produced  all 
over  Ireland  such  a  rich  crop  of  fairy  lore  and  local  legends,  has  enriched  the  stream 
with  a  brace  of  holy  white  trout,  which  it  would  be  impious  in  the  extreme  to  catch. 


GLENDALOUGH. 


And  now,  turning  our  course  westward,  one  of  the  most  picturesque  regions  of 
Connaught  lies  before  us.  It  is  the  fashion  to  rush  this  district  by  aid  of  tourist-cars. 
It  is  hardly  needful  to  say  that  a  more  leisurely  progress,  even  if  it  lead  to  the  expense 
of  private  cars,  will  soon  repay  the  traveler  for  the  expenditure  of  time  and  money. 
The  first  half  of  the  forty-seven  miles  that  separate  Clifden  from  Galwayis  not  par- 
ticularly attractive  ;  but,  when  Oughterard  and  Lough  Shindiila  is  reached,  the  ex- 
cursion becomes  one  to  delight  the  lover  of  fine  scenery.  To  the  north  rise  the  Mam- 
turk  Mountains,  two  thousand  feet  high  ;  then  comes  the  valley  known  as  Glen  Inagh, 
at  the  entrance  to  which  stands  the  huge  sentinel,  Lissoughter,  one  thousand  three 
hundred  and  fourteen  feet  high.  From  the  summit  of  this  hill  a  superb  view  is  ob- 
tained over  Glen  Inagh,  Lough  Inagh,  and  the  wild   mountain  road  to   the  northwest 

151 


IRELA  ND  ILL  USTRA  TED. 

leading  to  Kylemore.    The  chief  feature  in  the  view,  however,  is  the  cluster  of  mountain 
peaks  to  the  northwest,  the  celebrated  Pins  of  Bunnabeola. 

Under  the  shadow  of  Lissoughter  the  road  skirts  the  shores  of  Glendalough,  a  lovely 
lake,  but,  like  Killarney,  apt  to  suffer  somewhat  from  the  extreme  claims  put  forth  on 
its  behalf  by  too  enthusiastic  admirers.  From  this  point  onward  the  road  to  Clifden 
runs  through  a  succession  of  valleys  either  by  the  side  of  a  rippling  mountain  stream  or 
along  the  delightful  shores  of  Glendalough  and  Derryclare  and  Bally nahinch.  Domi- 
nating the   whole  western  half  of  the  drive,  and    affording  a  succession   of  delightful 


THE   PINS!    OF   BUNNABEOLA. 


mountain  views,  stands  the  cluster  of  peaks  of  Beola,  the  word  bin,  or  mountain, 
having  been  corrupted  into  pin.  Benbaun,  the  highest  of  the  group,  is  two  thousand 
three  hundred  and  ninety- five  feet  above  the  sea -level. 

Clifden  is  a  well-situated  little  town,  standing  at  the  head  of  Ardbear  Bay,  and  shut 
in  to  the  north  and  east  by  a  circle  of  mountains.  There  is  not  much  trade  carried  on 
here,  and  this  whole  district  has  never  recovered  fully  from  the  terrible  famine  ex- 
periences. But  on  a  market-day  the  crowd  of  peasants  and  the  various  business  trans- 
actions present  much  that  catches  the  attention  of  a  stranger.  The  women  in  blue  or 
scarlet  cloaks,  the  men  in  fri  ze  coats  and  knee-breeches,  the  pigs  and  sheep,  the  lively 

actions  and  conversations,   all  combine   to  make  up  a  picturesque  and  animated  scene. 
152 


CONNEMARA. 

The  best  excursion  from  Clifclen  is  through  the  Martin  country  to  Roundstone  and 
Urrisberg,  a  hill  which,  although  only  nine  hundred  and  eighty-seven  feet  high,  yet 
from  its  isolated  position  affords  a  lovely  view  and  presents  phenomena  interesting 
alike  to  the  botanist  and  geologist. 

Those  who  follow  the  beaten  track,  after  staying  the  night  at  Clifden,  will  proceed 
by  car  another  forty  miles  to  Westport.  This  route  also  carries  the  traveler  through 
some  magnificent  scenery.  Soon  after  reaching  Letterfrack,  the  Pass  of  Kylemore  is 
entered.  If  a  choice  had  to  be  made  among  the  many  exquisite  scenes  of  this  region, 
not  a  few  would  award  the  palm  to  Kylemore.  From  Letterfrack  the  Pass  of  Salrock 
and  Lough  Fee  are  easily  reached,  and  lovely  views  obtained  over  the  Killary,  an 
arm  of  the  sea  running  inland  for  twelve  miles,  and  often  compared  to  a  Norwegian 


KYLEMORE. 


fjord.  An  even  better  center  is  Leenane,  beautifully  situated  at  the  head  of  Killary 
Harbor.  From  thence  a  whole  series  of  most  delightful  excursions  can  be  made.  By 
ascending  Mweelrea,  on  the  north  shore  of  Killary  Harbor,  two  thousand  six  hundred 
and  eighty-eight  feet  h  gh,  a  superb  view  is  obtained.  A  charming  and  less  fatiguing 
trip  is  to  Delphi  and  Lough  Doo.  The  valley  of  the  Errif,  Lough  Natooey,  and  many 
other  parts  of  this  pleasant  region  afford  the  best  of  sport  to  the  angler.  Lough  Natooey 
is  famed  for  its  gillaroo  trout.  The  main  road  to  Westport  continues  up  the  Errif 
Valley  and  across  the  watershed  into  the  valley  of  the  Owenwee.  During  the  ride 
some  grand  views  are  obtained  over  Clew  Bay. 

Westport,  like  other  towns  on  this  coast,  is  prepared  on  a  somewhat  ambitious 
scale  for  a  prosperous  future,  which  has  not  yet  arrived.  It  is  situated  at  the  head  of 
Westport  Bay,  an  inlet  of  Clew  Bay.     It  is  certainly  beautiful  for  situation,  and  hard  by 

153 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

is  the  lovely  park  of  the  Marquis  of  Sligo.  Beyond  this  is  Westport  Quay,  with  its 
warehouses  and  wharfs,  but  having  nothing  wherewith  to  fill  them.  To  the  south  and 
west  the  prominent  feature  in  every  view  is  Croagh  Patrick,  the  lofty  conical  mountain 
whence,  according  to  tradition,  St.  Patrick  finally  cleared  Ireland  of  reptiles.  The 
mountain  has  long  been  the  scene  of  pilgrimages.  But  in  these  days  it  is  quite  suffi- 
cient to  rest  its  claims  to  attention  upon  purely  natural  features.  The  view  from  the 
summit,  about  two  thousand  five  hundred  feet  high,  embraces  a  glorious  prospect  over 
Achill  Island  to  the  Donegal  Highlands,  over  the  whole  expanse  of  Clew  Bay  with  its 
thousand  islets,  and  over  the  mountain  regions  of  Connemara. 

A  visit  to  Clare  Island  enables  the  visitor  to   appreciate  the  fine  scenery  of  the  bay, 
and  also  to  see  the  ruins  of  the  castle  where  the  famous  Amazon  Grace  O'Malley  is  said 


.k 


CATCHING    SALMON   WITH    A    SEINE. 
(From  a  sketch  by  Charles  Whymper.) 


to   have  resided  in  Queen  Elizabeth's 
day. 

The  road  from  Westport  to  New- 
port affords  fine  views  of  Clew  Bay 
along  the  eight  miles  separating  the 
two  places.  Here  another  excursion, 
much  more  elaborate  and  needing 
more  time,  for  which  Newport  is  a  good  starting-point,  is  the  trip  to  Achill  Island. 
To  do  this  with  any  comfort,  three  or  four  days  are  necessary  ;  the  rapid  tourist  might 
do  much  in  two  days  or  two  and  a  half.  Achill  is  the  largest  island  off  the  Irish 
coast,  having  a  shore  line  of  some  eighty  miles,  and  containing  forty-six  thousand  acres. 
A  long  drive  from  Newport  leads  to  the  ferry  at  Achill  Sound,  and  a  farther  run 
of  nine  miles  to  Dugort,  the  best  center  for  exploration.  Hence  excursions  may  be 
planned  according  to  the  time  and  strength  of  the  traveler.  Slievemore,  two  thousand 
two  hundred  and  seventeen  feet  high,  overhangs  Dugort.  At  the  hamlets  of  Keel, 
Dooagh,  and  Keem  a  good  idea  can  be  obtained  of  aboriginal  life.  The  people 
live  in  round  cabins,  looking  at  a  distance  like  corn-ricks  ;  they  use  the  curragh,  and 
are  simple  and  primitive  in  habit.  Here  may  be  seen  to  perfection  fishing  for 
154 


<    WKEMARA. 


salmon  with  a  seine.  The  salmon  on  their  way  to  the  rivers  travel  round  the  bays.  A 
man  perched  on  the  crags,  who,  I  y  reason  of  the  clearness  of  the  water  and  the  white- 
ness of  the  bottom,  can  movi  ment  of  the  fish,  directs  the  men  when  and 
where   to  haul  the   seine  so  as  to  inclose  the  greatest  number  ol  fish.     This  method  is 


,.'■■         '-', 


*& 


KILLALA. 

followed  in  other  parts  of  Connaught,  and  we  are  able  to  give  an  illustrative  engraving 
of  the  process. 

The  two  special  things  for  which  many  visit  Achill  are  to  see  the  seal-caves  and  to 
look  down  Croghan.  The  caves  are  visited  by  boat,  and  are  about  two  miles  from 
Dugort.     If  the  trip  is  made  when  the   animals  are   inside,   their  cries   can  be  heard 

155 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

mingling  with  the  noise  of  the  waves,  and  as  the  boat  draws  near  they  may  be  seen 
swimming  away  beneath  in  affright. 

The  Croghan  is  a  long  range  of  cliff  forming  the  west  coast  of  Achill.  The  approach 
from  the  land  side  is  gradual,  but,  when  the  proper  point  is  reached  by  creeping  cautiously 
to  the  edge  and  looking  over,  the  explorer  can  gaze  down  two  thousand  feet  of  sheer 
precipice.  "The  mountain  seemed  to  have  been  rent  in  twain  by  some  stupendous  con- 
vulsion of  nature,  and  half  its  mass  to  have  dropped  bodily  into  the  ocean.  We  stood 
on  the  summit,  and  below  us  the  Atlantic  surged  and  roared,  beating  on  the  jagged  rocks 
and  sending  columns  of  white  foam  high  into  the  air.  It  made  us  giddy  to  look  down  the 
face  of  the  cliffs.  In  some  places  the  rocks  under  us  were  hidden  from  our  view,  as 
they  toppled  over  the  sea  at  an  angle  of  sixty  degrees.  In  the  recesses  of  these  mighty 
cliffs,  which  extend  their  bare  crags  against  the  sea  for  five  miles,  from  Saddle-Head  to 
Achill  Head,  numbers  of  golden  eagles  have  their  eyries,  and  flocks  of  wild-goats  have 
their  habitation,  affording  sport  that  equals  chamois-hunting  in  its  danger  and  excitement, 
and  requires  the  sure  foot  of  the  mountaineer  and  the  skill  of  the  deer-stalker."1 

From  Achill  Island  the  traveler  may  return  to  Newport  and  journey  north  through 
a  fine  district,  past  Mount  Nephin  and  Lough  Conn,  to  Ballina.  Or — and  by  this  route 
he  will  see  the  less  known  parts  of  County  Mayo — he  can  skirt  Blacksod  Bay  and  reach 
Ballina  by  way  of  Belmullet,  Ballycastle,  and  Killala. 

The  last  named  is  an  interesting  little  place,  the  seat  of  a  bishopric  which  is  now 
united  with  that  of  Tuam,  and  famed  for  the  fact  that  the  French  landed  here  in  1798. 
The  see  is  very  ancient,  dating  from  the  fifth  century.  The  present  cathedral  is  a  seven- 
teenth-century building  occupying  the  site  of  the  old  sixth-century  church.  The  round- 
tower  is  an  ancient  structure.  Formerly  Killala  was  a  busy  port,  but  in  recent  years  most  of 
the  trade  has  gone  to  Ballina.    Between  these  two  places  are  the  ruins  of  Moyne  Abbey. 

At  Ballina  the  railway  is  reached,  and  the  traveler  feels  himself  once  more  in  touch 
with  the  facilities  of  advanced  civilization,  and  can  extend  his  wanderings  into  Donegal, 
or  reluctantly,  if  he  must,  turn  his  face  homeward. 

1  Midland  Great    Western  Railway  Handbook,  p.  51. 


GOING   TO   MARKET. 


IS6 


DONEGAL  CASTLE. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


The  Donegal  Highlands. 

THE  Donegal  Highlands  offer  many  and  great  attractions  to  the  stranger.  He  finds 
there  much  wild  and  enticing  mountain  scenery  ;  he  can  explore  a  magnificent 
coast,  indented  by  numerous  loughs  and  arms  of  the  sea,  and  adorned  by  a  succession 
of  bold  headlands ;  he  treads  a  land  classic  in  Irish  story  and  renowned  for  the  men  who 
there  took  part  in  both  internecine  struggles  and  in  the  conflict  with  the  Saxon  race ; 
and  he  finds  in  the  people  of  to-day  a  primitive  and  most  interesting  peasantry.  He  can 
visit  the  scenes  of  Columba's  boyhood  and  of  Hugh  Roe's  brave  efforts  for  freedom.  If 
interested  in  political  and  social  questions,  he  can  study  typical  representatives  of  land- 
lord and  tenant,  and  typical  conflicts  between  the  National  League  and  Dublin  Castle. 
He  will  find  the  Celtic  imagination  even  more  lively  in  Donegal  than  in  most  parts,  with 
a  firm  belief  in  fairies  and  in  a  store  of  legends  associated  with  mountain  and  river, 
castle  and  hamlet. 

157 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 


Great  are  the   charms   of  Wicklow   and  Kerry,  manifold  are  the  beauties  of  Mayo 
and  Antrim  ;    yet  upon  any  one  who  wishes  to  see  Ireland  at  its  best,  that  is,  as  least 

affected  by  outside  influences,  Donegal 
should  have  the  prior  claim.  More  than  equal 
to  her  rivals  in  natural  beauty,  there  is  also 
a  stronger  element  of  the  "mere  Irish"  in 
the  people,  and  in  their  habits  of  life. 

Continuing  our  journey  from  Ballina,  the 
best  approach  is  by  way  of  Sligo  and  Bally- 
shannon.  The  former  is  an  important  county 
town,  well-situated  and  fairly  prosperous. 
Lough  Gill,  a  lovely  sheet  of  water,  dotted 
with  islands,  is  only  a  few  miles  distant,  the 
waters  of  its  only  outlet  flowing  through  the 
town.  There  is  a  considerable  shipping 
trade,  since  Sligo  is  a  port  and  stands  at 
the  head  of  a  fine  bay.  Like  almost  every 
Irish  town  of  importance,  it  contains  an  an- 
cient ruined  monastery.  This  was  founded 
by  the  Earl  of  Kildare  in  the  thirteenth 
century,  but  the  fine  ruins  which  all  visitors 
to  Sligo  should  inspect  are  those  of  the 
monastery  and  church,  rebuilt  after  a  fire  early 
These  are  of  considerable  extent,  the  choir   of  the  church 


THE    EAST  WINDOW,  SLIGO  ABBEY. 


in  the  fifteenth  century, 
exhibiting  a  splendid  four-light  east  win- 
dow, and  the  unusually  perfect  cloisters 
being  worthy  of  careful  study,  since  they 
have  many  richly  decorated  arches  which 
enable  the  student  to  appreciate  the  native 
Irish  school  of  architecture. 

Passing  through  Bundoran,  Ballyshan- 
non  is  reached,  noted  for  its  salmon-fishery 
and  its  falls.  These  are  one  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  wide  and  from  fourteen  to 
sixteen  feet  high,  and  over  them  the  waters 
of  Lough  Erne  find  an  outlet.  The  chief 
sight  at  Ballyshannon  in  the  proper  season 
is  the  salmon  making  their  way  up  these 
falls.  Only  a  few  miles  from  the  town  is 
Belleek,  the  site  of  the  celebrated  pottery 
works,  where  a  very  beautiful  and  delicate 
china-ware,  possessing  a  rich  irridescent 
luster,  has  for  many  years  been  manufac- 
tured. The  works  are  not  so  prosperous 
as  formerly,  but  all  who  know  the  excel- 
lence of  the  potterv  trust  that  the  depres- 
158 


THE   CLOISTERS,   SLIGO  ABBEY. 


CARRIGAN   HEAD,    DONEGAL. 


THE  DONEGAL  HIGHLANDS. 

sion  will  prove  to  be  but  temporary.  Lough  Erne  and  Lough  Derg  are  both 
■within  easy  reach  of  Ballyshannon,  the  latter  having  been  for  ages  a  famous  place 
of  pilgrimage.  By  road  Donegal  is  only  a  little  over  thirty  miles  from  Sligo, 
but  in  order  to  reach  it  by  rail  a  circuit  covering  a  considerable  part  of  Ireland  is 
needful.  The  journey  ranks  high  among  picturesque  railway  trips.  The  train  trav- 
erses the  rich  district  of  Manor  Hamilton,  and  enables  the  traveler  to  visit  one  of  the 
most  noted  and  best-situated  towns — Enniskillen.  Lough  Erne  is  an  expansion  of  the 
River  Erne,  forming  a  lovely  and  most  extensive  lake,  which  takes  very  high  rank  for 
natural  beauty.  About  midway  it  contracts  into  a  narrow  stream,  and  upon  this  Ennis- 
killen stands,  eminently  beautiful  for  situation.  Two  miles  below  the  town  is 
Devcnish  Island,  with  a  round-tower  and  old  ruined  abbey.  On  leaving  Enniskillen  the 
railway  continues  through  Omagh  and  Newtown  Stewart  to  Strabane,  and  there  the 
branch  to  Donegal  turns  off  abruptly  to  the  west  and  southwest,  passing  through  the 
Barnesmore  Gap,  a  fine  gorge  through  the  mountains,  which  rise  on  one  side  over 
seventeen  hundred  feet,  and  on  the  other  over  fourteen  hundred  feet.  The  rail  extends 
only  to  Druminin,  two  or  three  miles  from  Donegal,  the  journey  thither  being  completed 
by  car,  the  ride  giving  a  good  foretaste  of  the  pleasures  to  come  in  the  way  of  beautiful 
views. 

The  town,  which  has  given  its  name  to  the  county,  stands  at  the  head  of  the 
great  arm  of  the  sea  called  Donegal  Bay.  The  word  is  Irish,  and  means  Dun-nan- Gal, 
the  fort  of  the  stranger,  and  the  name  is  comparatively  modern.  In  ancient  days  all  this 
region  was  known  as  Tyrconnell,  that  is,  the  Land  of  Connel  or  Conall,  a  son  of  Nial  of 
the  Nine  Hostages.  The  houses  for  the  most  part  cluster  around  a  central  space  called 
the  Diamond  ;  but  although  Donegal  is  a  port  and  a  county  town,  there  are  not  many 
signs  of  business  activity.  There  are  only  two  structures  of  special  note,  the  castle  and 
the  monastery,  both  in  ruins.  Each  is  associated  in  a  most  interesting  way  with  the  history 
of  the  country.  To  fairly  appreciate  the  castle,  a  glance  must  be  taken  at  ancient  h  story. 
A  little  before  the  time  when  St.  Patrick  worked  as  a  slave  in  Antrim  there  ruled  over 
Ireland  one  of  the  most  celebrated  of  pagan  kings,  Niall  of  the  Nine  Hostages.  Two 
of  his  sons,  Conall  and  Eoghan  (Owen)  settled  in  the  north,  and  gave  their  names  to  the 
districts  of  Tyr-conall  and  Tyr-eoghan  (Tyrone),  and  became  respectively  the  ancestors 
of  the  powerful  Ulster  Septs,  the  O'Donnells  and  O'Neils.  From  the  thirteenth  to  the 
fifteenth  centuries  internecine  war  raged  fiercely  between  these  great  clans,  a  fact  which 
here,  as  in  other  parts  of  the  kingdom,  facilitated  its  subjugation  by  England.  About  the 
middle  of  the  fifteenth  century  Hugh  Roe  became  chief  of  the  O'Donnells.  and  in  1474 
founded  the  Franciscan  monastery  at  Donegal.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury it  had  become  customary  for  each  chieftain  in  turn  to  seek  English  support,  for  the 
purpose  of  attacking  the  other.  In  1 585  Sir  John  Perrott,  the  Lord  Deputy,  divided 
Ulster  into  counties,  decreeing  that  Tyrconnell  should  in  future  be  known  as  Donegal. 
Hugh  O'Donnell,  the  head  of  the  Sept  at  that  time,  vehemently  resisted  this  policy.  He 
was  an  old  man,  and  becoming  feeble.  His  son  Hugh,  who  was  a  prince  of  great  prom- 
ise, happened  to  be  staying,  according  to  the  Irish  custom,  with  his  foster-father,  Mac- 
Sweeny,  at  Fanad.  Thinking  that  they  could  manage  the  old  O'Donnell  more  easily 
than  the  young  one,  the  English  determined  to  get  the  latter  out  of  the  way.  He  was 
enticed  on  board  a  ship  at  Rathmullan   on  Lough  Swilly,   made  prisoner  and  carried  to 

Dublin  Castle.    In  1590,  after  more  than  three  years'  imprisonment,  he  escaped,  butwa6 

161 


IRELAND    ILLUSTRATED. 

recaptured.  In  1592  he  and  a  prince  of  the  rival  Sept  of  O'Neils  escaped,  but  losttheir 
way  during  a  snowstorm  in  Glenmalure,  County  Wicklow ;  the  O'Neil  died,  Hugh  Roe 
was  rescued,  and  brought  back  from  the  point  of  death,  and  finally  reached  Donegal  in 
safety.  His  feelings  toward  the  English  can  easily  be  imagined.  He  became  head  of 
the  Sept  on  the  resignation  of  his  father,  made  his  home  at  Donegal  Castle,  and  at  once 
attacked  the  English  in  Tyrone.  In  1597  he  captured  Ballyshannon  ;  in  1598  he  aided 
Hugh  O'Neil  to  defeat  the  English  at  the  Yellow  Ford,  two  miles  from  Armagh  ;  in  1599 
he  defeated  the  English  at  Ballaghboy,  and  slew  their  leader,  Sir  Conyers  Clifford.  But 
treachery  was  too  strong  in  the  end  even  for  Hugh  Roe.  He  was  deserted,  at  the  time 
when  he  most  needed  support,  by  his  brother-in-law,  Nial  Garv,  who  joined  the  English 
in  attacking  him.  After  performing  brilliant  deeds  in  the  ensuing  struggle,  he  went  at 
length  to  Spain,  to  seek  help  from  Philip  III.  Help  was  freely  promised,  but  never  came. 
Hugh  Roe  waited,  and  waited  in  vain,  at  Corunna  for  the  fleet,  strong  enough  to  liberate 
Ulster,  that  was  to  bear  him  back  to  Ireland.  His  fiery  spirit  wore  out  its  casket. 
Starting  for  the  court  to  urge  once  more  his  suit  before  the  King,  at  Simancas  he  was 
seized  with  fatal  illness,  died  in  the  king's  house  there,  and  was  honored  with  a  splendid 
burial  in  the  cathedral  of  Valladolid,  on  September  10th,  1602.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
he  was  only  twenty-eight  years  old.  Thus  closed  a  most  romantic,  brilliant,  and  cour- 
ageous career.  Among  the  multitude  of  fierce,  agile,  and  warlike  chieftains  of  Ireland 
Hugh  Roe  holds  one  of  the  highest  places. 

It  is  with  the  fortunes  of  this  chief  and  his  immediate  ancestors  that  the  old  Donegal 
Castle  was  concerned.  The  original  structure  was  built  by  the  Hugh  O'Donnell  who 
was  ruling  Tyrconnell  in  i5o5,  but  little  or  nothing  of  this  building  survives.  The  ex- 
tant ruins  are  those  of  the  castle  rebuilt  upon  the  old  foundation  by  Sir  Basil  Brooke  in 
1 6 10.  When  complete  it  must  have  been  a  fine  specimen  of  its  class,  consisting  chiefly 
of  a  tall,  gabled  tower,  with  turrets  and  the  necessary  outbuildings.  The  greater  part  of 
the  tower  is  still  standing.  The  chief  room  in  it  possesses  a  very  fine  mullioned  window 
and  a  splendid  chimney-piece.  The  situation  is  charming,  the  castle  being  surrounded 
by  a  lovely  garden,  and  overhanging  the  river  Esk. 

The  monastery,  of  which  only  the  scantiest  remains  exist,  was  founded  in  1474. 
When  Nial  Garv  betrayed  the  cause  of  Hugh  Roe  he  seized  and  fortified  this  monastery. 
There  he  was  attacked  by  his  brother-in-law,  and  a  fire  happening  to  break  out,  Hugh 
Roe  seized  upon  that  moment  as  the  time  for  an  assault,  in  which  Nial  was  defeated  and 
driven  out,  and  the  monastery  reduced  to  ruin.  Some  years  later  the  friars  began  to 
gather  again  upon  the  old  spot,  and  built  themselves  some  cottages  among  the  ruins. 
In  these  cottages  was  compiled  the  most  famous  of  those  great  annals  for  which  Irish 
literature  is  so  noted,  viz.,  Annals  of  the  Four  Masters.  The  book  was  so  called  because 
it  was  the  work  of  four  friars  of  great  learning,  the  chief  being  Michael  O'Leary,  a 
native  of  Ballyshannon.  The  work  these  four  men  produced  consists  of  eleven  thous- 
and quarto  pages,  begins  with  the  year  of  the  world  2242  and  closes  with  a.  d.  1616. 
The  annals  are  made  up  largely  of  brief  details  and  records  of  battles,  of  the  foundation 
and  destruction  of  churches  and  abbeys,  and  of  the  deaths  of  chieftains,  kings,  and  abbots. 
Nevertheless  they  form  a  priceless  storehouse  of  information  about  Irish  history.  In 
recent  years  these  annals  have  been  twice  edited,  the  last  edition  being  a  handsomely 
printed  book  in  four  large  quarto  volumes. 

Donegal  is  the  gate  to  the  beautiful  southern  district  of  the  county.      The  ride 
162 


THE  DOXEGAL  HIGHLANDS. 

along  the  north  coast  of  Donegal  Bay  is  exceedingly  lovely.  Fine  sea  views  are  ob- 
tained on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other  very  extensive  and  very  fine  mountainous 
landscapes  everywhere  occur.  The  mail-car  route  to  Killybegs  is  a  splendid  example  of 
a  fine  Irish  road.  The  first  place  of  interest  is  Mount  Charles,  situated  on  the  slope  of 
a  hill,  from  which,  above  the  village,  a  most  magnificent  view  is  obtained  over  the 
demesne  of  the  Marquis  of  Conyngham,  over  the  bay,  and  over  the  wild  highland 
region  of  the  Blue  Stack  Mountains,  and  on  very  favorable  days  even  the  Connaught 
coast  may  be  clearly  seen  in  the  distant  south.  Passing  by  Bruckless,  a  pretty  village, 
and  leaving  the  ruins  of  MacSwyne's  Castle  on  the  left  hand,  after  a  pleasant  ride  of 
some  miles  Killybegs  is  reached.  This  is  a  snug  little  seaport,  well  situated  on  the 
shore  of  a  fine  land-locked  harbor.  The  road  from  this  place  to  Kilcar  hugs  the  coast 
at  a  considerable  elevation  above  the  sea,  and  thus  affords  the  traveler  a  constant  suc- 
cession of  superb  views.     He  is  of  course  largely  dependent   upon  the  wsather.     If 


DONEGAL. 

the  sun  be  shining,  nothing  can  be  more 
delightful  than  this  ride;  and  even  if  it  be 
seen  through  a  Donegal  smirr  or  drizzling 
rain  it  can  still  impart  pleasure  to  the 
traveler.  Not  far  from  Kilcar  is  Muckross,  a  mountain  nearly  one  thousand  feet  high, 
with  a  promontory  jutting  out  boldly  into  the  sea.  The  rocks  here,  and  especially  the 
mass  known  as  the  Market-House,  will  delight  the  lover  of  cliff  scenery.  Yet  all  but 
leisurely  travelers  will  be  eager  to  push  on  to  Slieve  League,  now  only  a  few  miles  dis- 
tant. The  road  after  leaving  Kilcar  crosses  the  Ballyduff  River,  passes  over  a  high 
moorland — and  if  the  traveler  meets  the  "  smirr  "  here  he  is  apt  to  remember  it — and 
then  runs  along  the  eastern  bank  of  Teelin  Bay  and  River,  with  splendid  views  of  the 
bay  in  the  foreground,  and  with  the  mighty  mass  of  Slieve  League  shutting  in  the 
distant  view  across  the  valley.  At  the  village  of  Carrick  most  comfortable  hotel 
accommodation  is  to  be  found,  and  no  better  center  for  the  exploration  of  the  Slieve 
League  district  could  be  desired. 

Por  this  country,  fine  weather  is  almost  essential ;  but,  alas !  it  is  not  often  granted 

163 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

to  those  whose  time  is  limited.  In  short,  it  can  not  be  too  strongly  emphasized  that,  in 
order  to  enjoy  Donegal  scenery  properly,  time  is  essential.  A  fair  idea  may  be  ob- 
tained by  rushing  through  the  county ;  and  if  the  visitor  has  to  choose  between  seeing 
it  under  these  conditions  and  not  seeing  it  at  all,  the  author  would  say  by  all  means 
visit  it  even  thus.  But  let  all  who  wish  really  to  enjoy  what  is  unquestionably  the 
freshest,  most  unconventional,  and  in  many  respects  most  beautiful  part  of  the  Emerald 
Isle,  allot  considerable  time  to  it.  Three  weeks  or  a  month  spent  in  doing  Donegal 
thoroughly  will  be  at  once  a  better  education  in  appreciating  Ireland  and  the  Irish,  and 
a  more  complete  rest  to-  the  mind,  than  six  weeks  spent  in  skimming  over  the 
greater  part  of  the  kingdom.  The  full  enjoyment  of  Slieve  League — and  by  this  is 
meant  the  careful  and  repeated  study  of  these  stupendous  cliffs,  with  all  their  rich  color- 
ing, and  the  grand  views  afforded  from  different  points  of  vantage,  and  the  leisurely 
exploration  of  the  five  or  six  miles  of  headlands,  in  order  to  appreciate  the  wondrous 
variety  of  expression  they  present — can  only  be  obtained  in  fine  weather  and  by  an  ex- 
penditure of  at  least  two  or  three  days.  The  changes  of  weather,  also,  are  very  rapid. 
A  seemingly  hopeless  day  will  often  rapidly  clear,  and  the  visitor,  not  too  much 
hampered  by  dates  and  the  daily  tale  of  completed  miles,  can  avail  himself  of  these 
changes. 

Slieve  League  is  a  huge  mountain  mass,  presenting  on  the  land  side  lofty  slopes  and 
valleys,  but  no  forms  that  specially  strike  the  eye.  The  sea  face  has  been  beaten  by 
the  storms  of  ages  into  the  most  superb  cliffs  in  the  British  Islands.  The  easiest  and 
best  method  of  exploring  it  is  to  walk  or  drive  along  the  west  bank  of  the  Teelin  River 
for  a  couple  of  miles,  and  then  turn  up  the  path  leading  to  what  is  known  as  Bunglas. 
The  path  winds  up  by  easy  ascents  through  a  valley  leading  at  length  to  Carrigan 
Head.  This  is  a  magnificent  piece  of  cliff  scenery,  a  suitable  introduction  to  the  greater 
wonders  beyond. 

Leaving  Carrigan  Head  on  the  left,  and  following  the  path  which  winds  along  the 
cliffs,  Bunglas  is  soon  reached,  and  one  instantly  appreciates  why  the  spot  obtained  the 
name  Awark-Mor,  meaning  "  the  fine  view."  The  visitor  stands  upon  a  point  of  rock, 
many  hundreds  of  feet  above  the  sea-level.  From  his  right  hand  there  sweeps  away 
a  grand  semicircle  of  cliff,  rising  higher  and  higher  above  the  sea  until  opposite  where 
the  observer  stands  it  reaches  an  altitude  of  nearly  two  thousand  feet.  Beyond  this 
point  the  cliffs  stretch  away  for  six  miles,  extending  to  Malin  Beg  and  Malin  More. 
The  sharp  bend  in  the  cliffs  to  the  observer's  right  is  sometimes  called  "  the  lair  of  the 
whirlwinds,"  and  the  face  of  the  cliffs  is  exceedingly  fine.  Their  very  extent  detracts 
to  a  large  degree  from  the  impressiveness  of  their  height,  and  it  is  hard  at  first  to 
realize  that  the  wave  breaking  slowly  at  the  foot  is,  in  some  places,  almost  perpen- 
dicularly two  thousand  feet  below  the  crown  of  the  ridge.  Unlike  the  lofty  cliffs  of 
Kerry,  this  gigantic  wall  is  warm  in  its  coloring.  Reddish  tints  abound,  and  quartz 
Veins  and  bands  of  shining  white  quartz,  bared  and  polished  by  the  storms  of  untold  ages, 
combined  with  the  red-brown  bogs  and  green  mosses,  produce  colors  which  contrast 
magnificently  with  the  water  below  and  the  sky  above.  Undoubtedly  the  best  way  to 
comprehend  the  full  grandeur  of  the  cliffs  is  to  come  round  by  boat  from  Teelin  Point ; 
but  for  this  trip  the  finest  weather  is  essential. 

The  summit  of  Slieve  League  is  reached  by  a  narrow  way  known  as  One  Man's 

Path.     About  this  the  most  conflicting  reports  had  reached  the  author.     Some  described 
164 


THE  DOXEGAL  HIGHLANDS, 

it  as  a  path  needing  the  steadiest  nerve,  while  a  gentleman  thoroughly  familiar  with 
every  peak  in  Donegal,  a  practiced  mountain-climber,  described  it  as  a  place  one  could 
run  down.  Great,  therefore,  was  his  disappointment  when,  having  reached  Bunglas, 
and  fully  hoping  to  test  the  accuracy  of  these  conflicting  accounts,  a  dense  cloud  which 
had  persistently  rested  upon  the  summit,  hiding  completely  from  view  the  last  two  hun- 
dred or  three  hundred  feet  of  the  ascent,  not  only  grew  denser,  but  transformed  itself 
into  a  persistent  driving  rain.  Under  these  circumstances,  he  had  to  leave  unsolved 
the  question  whether  he  could  easily  walk  up  the  One  Man's  Path,  or  whether  it  was  an 
expedition  needing  a  combination  of  careful  guide  and  steady  nerve.  It  was  a  melan- 
choly satisfaction  to  note,  some  hours  later,  when  he  caught  his  last  glimpse  of  Slieve 
League  from  the  Kilcar  Road,  that  the  heavy  cloud  still  shrouded  the  top  of  the  moun- 
tain, and  there  was  every  evidence  that  the  rain  was  descending  even  more  heavily 
than  when  he  stood  at  Bunglas. 

The  view  from  Bunglas,  once  seen,  must  ever  remain  a  glorious  memory.  It  is  also 
much  finer,  because  more  picturesque,  than  that  obtained  from  the  summit,  since  there 
the  greater  part  of  the  mighty  cliff  wall  is  hidden.  The  top  is  reached  by  "  a  path  from 
Bunglas  along  the  verge  of  the  precipice  the  whole  way  up  to  the  top  of  the  mountain. 
On  approaching  the  summit  line,  the  visitor  will  find  that  the  mountain  narrows  to  an 
edge,  called  the  One  Man's  Path,  from  the  circumstance  that  they  who  are  bold  enough 
to  tread  it  must  pass  in  single  file  over  the  sharp  ridge.  On  the  land  side  an  escarp- 
ment, not  indeed  vertical,  but  steep  enough  to  seem  so  from  above,  descends  more  than 
one  thousand  feet  to  the  brink  of  a  small  tarn  ;  while  on  the  side  facing1  the  sea 
the  precipices  descend  from  thirteen  hundred  to  eighteen  hundred  feet,  literally  straight 
as  a  wall  to  the  ocean.  A  narrow  footway,  high  in  the  air,  with  both  these  awful 
abysses  yawning  on  either  side,  is  the  One  Man's  Path,  which  in  the  language  and 
imagination  of  the  people  of  the  district  is  the  special  characteristic  of  Slieve  League, 
a  distinction  that  it  surely  merits.  .  .  .  The  view  is  worthy  of  this  great  maritime 
Alp.  Southward  you  take  in  a  noble  horizon  of  mountains  ranging  from  Leitrim  to  the 
Stags  of  Broadhaven,  and  in  the  dim  distance  are  seen  Nephin,  above  Ballina,  and, 
when  the  atmosphere  is  peculiarly  clear,  Croagh  Patrick,  above  Westport.  Looking 
inland  you  behold  a  sea  of  mountain-tops  receding  in  tumultuous  waves  as  far  as  the 
rounded  head  of  Slieve  Snaght,  and  the  sharp  cone  of  Errigal.  ...  A  quarry 
lately  opened  shows  this  part  of  the  mountain  to  be  formed  of  piles  of  thin  small  flags 
of  a  beautiful  white  color,  thus  proving,  what  the  geologist  would  have  seen  at  the  first 
glance,  that  those  quadrilateral  pillars  standing  straight  up  from  the  steeply  escarped 
side,  and  called  chimneys  by  the  people,  are  portions  of  the  formation  of  the  precipice 
which  have  not  yet  wholly  yielded  to  the  atmospheric  action  that  has  worn  the  rest  into 
a  slope.  And  here  observe  how  much  there  is  in  a  name  ;  for  Slieve  League  means 
the  Mountain  of  Flags."1 

Continuing  this,  probably  the  finest  coast  walk  in  the  United  Kingdom,  past  Malin 
Beg,  and  Malin  More,  Glen  Bay  is  reached,  which  ultimately  becomes  Glencolumbcille. 
That  St.  Columba  was  born  at  Gartan,  in  Donegal  in  a.  d.  52  i  ,  seems  beyond  doubt  ;  that 
he  once  lived  in  this  glen  has  been  accepted  by  many  as  a  fact,  although  Dr.  Reeves,  in  his 
splendid  edition  of  Adamnan's  Life  of  the  Saint,  treats  it  as  a  late  legend.  Some  even 
maintain  that  the  time-worn  cross  in  the  churchyard   was  originally  placed  there  by  the 

1   The  Donegal  Highlands,  pp.    99,  100. 

165 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 


founder  of  Iona.     However  these  things  may  be,  the  Glen  is  a  part  of  the  country  that 
no  one  should  miss. 

From  this  point  two  roads  are  open  to  Ardara.  The  most  frequented,  that  through 
Carrick,  we  shall  touch  upon  later.  The  wilder  and  much  less  common  is  to  follow 
the  coast,  passing  by  the  Sturrel,  commonly  known  as  the  Bent  Cliff,  an  extraordinary 
mass  of  rock  jutting  out  from  the  precipices  which  here  form  the  coast-line,  and  round- 
ing the  slopes  of  Slieveatooey,  with  Loughros  Beg  Bay  and  Loughros  More  Bay 
immediately  beneath. 

This  is  a  fitting  place  to  refer  to  the  Donegal  peasantry.  We  are  able  to  give  an  en- 
graving of  a  group.  They  are  a  fine  sturdy  race,  well  made  and  seemingly  well  fed. 
There  are  not  the  evident  signs  of  mental  quickness  so  readily  seen  in  some  districts  of 


Ireland,  and  the  hints  that  life 
is  a  hard  struggle  with  poverty 
are  abundant.  But  they  are 
self-reliant  and  free  from  all 
tendency  to  cringe.  They  are  not  forward  to  make  advances,  but  they  respond 
readily  to  the  kindly  look  or  the  civil  word.  Until  recently,  perhaps  more  than 
in  many  parts,  they  were  strongly  swayed  by  their  landlords,  and  on  this  account 
possibly  the  Home  Rule  feeling  runs  very  strongly  among  them.  But  they  do 
not  obtrude  this  side  of  their  life  upon  the  passing  stranger.  The  author's  experi- 
ence of  them  exactly  coincides  with  that  of  the  writer  of  An  Unknown  Country : 
"  We  saw  in  returning  family  groups  sitting  by  the  roadside  on  the  moor  or  chatting  out- 
side their  cabin  doors.  They  just  glanced  up  as  we  drove  past,  nothing  more.  There 
was  nothing  of  the  wild  pursuit  of  tourists  by  child- beggars,  and  grown-up  beggars 
too,  and  nothing  of  the  fierce  scowl  at  all  supposed  well-to-do  people,  which  I  had  been 
told  we  should  find  in  this  land  ripe  for  revolution.     And  though  they  were  as  poor  as 

166 


THE  DONEGAL   HIGHLANDS. 

poor  could  be, — a  poverty  which  our  English  poor  could  hardly  realize, — they  all  looked 
respectable — a  word  which  implies  more  than  at  first  appears,  since  a  man  who  is  worthy 
of  respect  must  first  respect  himself.  They  would  have  been  a  problem  to  many 
English  who  pass  rash  and  harsh  judgments  upon  Ireland.  .  .  .  Nothing  strikes 
one  more  in  Donegal,  or  indeed  throughout  Ireland,  than  the  exceeding  wholesomeness 
of  the  children.  Ragged  they  may  be,  thin,  and  half-starved,  but  they  are  seldom  either 
crippled  or  diseased.  They  can  run  like  hares  and  spring  like  wild-cats  ;  they  look  up 
at  you  fearlessly  with  their  big,  bright,  Irish  eyes,  and  grin  at  you  with  their  dazzling 
teeth,  till  you  laugh  in  spite  of  yourself,  and  they  laugh  back  again,  as  if,  in  spite  of  all 
this  misery,  life  were  a  capital  joke." 

If  the  coast  route  is  not  followed  in  the  journey  from  Carrick  to  Ardara,  and  the 
beaten  track  is  chosen,  a  very  fine  stretch  of  bleak  moorland  country  is  traversed.  The 
road  gradually  rises,  the  country  getting  wilder  and  wilder,  until  at  an  elevation  of  about 
one  thousand  feet  the  highest  point  is  reached,  and  immediately  below  is  the  Pass  of 
Glengesh,  while  spread  out  before  one  is  a  fine  view  of  the  central  Donegal  Mountains. 
The  crest  once  surmounted,  the  road  descends  rapidly  by  abrupt  turns  into  the  glen,  the 
hills  towering  aloft  on  either  hand.  The  scenery  gets  less  and  less  wild  as  the  road 
descends,  and  the  valley  toward  the  mouth  becomes  smiling  and  green  and  fertile.  A 
short  run  brings  the  car  into  Ardara,  and  ascending  the  steep  hillside  on  which  the 
main  street  of  this  little  town  stands  the  road  to  Glenties  is  reached.  An  hour's  ride 
along  the  slope  of  a  pleasant  valley  brings  one  to  the  town,  which  owes  its  importance 
mainly  to  the  fact  that  it  is  a  convenient  place  for  changing  horses.  A  handsome  work- 
house is  the  great  architectural  feature  of  the  place  ;  several  mountain  glens  and  the 
roads  passing  through  them  converge  upon  it  ;  but  there  is  little  connected  with  it  to 
tempt  the  wayfarer  into  any  lengthy  stay. 

Between  Glenties  and  Gweedore  a  long  stretch  of  extremely  wild  and  barren  coun- 
try intervenes,  so  wild  and  bare  as  to  be  hardly  rivaled  in  the  United  Kingdom.  The 
absence  of  wood  and  foliage  intensifies  the  impression  of  barrenness.  What  pictur- 
esque effect  it  possesses  is  due  mainly  to  the  hill  contours,  and  to  the  shades  of  moorland 
browns,  varied  with  occasional  oases  of  living  green,  often  entirely  due  to  large  patches 
of  Osmunda  regalis,  the  royal  flowering  fern.  Seen,  as  not  unfrequently,  beneath  a 
gray  sky  and  with  a  keen  east  wind  blowing,  the  visitor  on  the  jaunting-car  is  apt  to 
think  that  Irish  miles  in  these  parts  are  abnormally  long,  and  that  in  the  course  of  his 
wanderings  over  the  face  of  the  earth  he  has  never  traversed  a  more  hopeless  soil  or  a 
more  thinly  populated  country. 

The  first  point  of  real  beauty  in  the  journey  is  when  the  road  touches  the  valley  of 
the  Gweebarra,  a  fine  salmon-stream,  emptying  into  Gweebarra  Bay.  The  road  for 
some  miles  skirts  the  southern  bank,  which  is  bleak  and  barren  ;  but  on  the  opposite 
side  the  valley  rolls  away  in  gentle  slopes,  dotted  plentifully  with  whitewashed  cabins 
and  cultivated  fields,  supporting  evidently  a  considerable  agricultural  population.  At 
Doochary  Bridge  the  road  crosses  the  river,  and  immediately  climbs  by  zigzags  the  steep 
northern  bank.  From  the  top  some  very  fine  views  are  obtained  ;  and  then  for  seven 
or  eight  miles  the  road  traverses  wild  moors. 

Dungloe  is  a  village   nestling  on  the  slope  of  a  hill,  but  neither  beautiful  for  situation 

nor  particularly  attractive  in  itself.     The  road  to  Gweedore,  some  thirteen  miles,  is 

very  pleasant,   and  affords  considerable  variety  of  scenery,  but  is   not  comparable  to 

167 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

several  that  Donegal  can  show.  By  far  the  finest  drive  from  Glenties  to  Gweedore  is 
to  go  by  way  of  Doochary  Bridge  and  Glen  Veagh,  a  longer  but  a  much  wilder  route. 
But  the  best  way  to  appreciate  the  Errigal  district  is  to  make  the  Gweedore  Hotel  a 
center  and  explore  the  country  by  daily  excursions. 

Gweedore  is  situated  upon  the  Clady,  a  pretty  stream  forming  the  outlet  of  a  chain 
of  loughs.  The  most  conspicuous  object  in  the  landscape  is  Mount  Errigal,  only  a  few 
miles  distant,  and  very  accessible.  It  presents  widely  different  appearances  from  differ- 
ent points  of  view  ;  from  Gweedore  itself  looking  like  a  dome  ;  from  other  directions 
exhibiting  the  sharp  ridge  and  bold  peak  shown  in  our  engraving.  Scattered  over  the 
slopes  are  immense  quantities  of  a  loose  shale  of  a  pure  white  color,  which,  seen  from  a 
distance,  have  almost  the  effect  cf  snow.  On  the  southeastern  side  the  peak  slopes 
down  by  a  sharp  ridge,  which  affords  a  capital  path  up  to  the  very  summit.    The  height 


MOUNT   ERRIGAL. 


V^^-Wjlli 


is  two  thousand  four  hundred  and  sixty 
feet,  and  any  fair  walker  can  easily  man- 
age the  ascent.  The  writer  first  saw  it 
on  a  bright  sunny  afternoon  in  June, 
toward  the  close  of  a  long  drive  from  Creeslough.  It  looked  so  inviting  and  so  easy 
to  climb  that  the  temptation  was  irresistible.  Instructing  the  car-driver  to  wait,  he 
started,  and  at  once  met  the  chief  difficulties  of  the  expedition.  The  ground  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountain  is  boggy,  and  some  care  is  needed  in  crossing  the  half-mile  or  so 
of  nearly  level  ground.  But  once  on  the  ridge,  the  rest  was  easy.  The  view  from  the 
summit  was  superb.  The  complete  isolation  of  the  peak,  the  extreme  abruptness  with 
which  the  mountain  slopes  away  in  all  directions  but  one,  and  the  grandeur  of  the  sur- 
rounding peaks  render  the  enjoyment  of  being  actually  on  the  summit  exceedingly 
keen  and  invigorating.  The  eye  is  bewildered  at  first  by  the  vast  extent  and  variety  of 
the  landscape  unfolded.  Looking  to  the  north  and  east,  the  mountain  seems  to  break 
away  almost  from  beneath  one's  feet ;  and  although  it  is  at  least  a  mile  from  the  base, 
Altan  Lough  looks  so  near  that  you  think  the  stone  in  your  hand  could  be  easily  tossed 
into  it.     Beyond  the  lough  the  steep  cliffs  of  Aghla  More  rise  up  abruptly  for  nearly 

168 


THE  DuXLVAL   HIGHLANDS. 

two  thousand  feet,  and  beyond  them  towers  the  huge  mass  of  Muckish,  the  mountain 
that  dominates  all  northwestern  Donegal.  Faraway  in  the  distance  Mulroy  Bay,  Lough 
Swilly,  and  the  blue  ocean  are  in  full  view.  Immediately  to  the  north  and  east,  Dun- 
fanaghy,  Horn  Head,  and  Tory  Island  seem  to  lie  at  one's  feet.  To  the  south  the  fine 
ranges  of  the  Derryveagh  Mountains,  the  Poisoned  Glen,  and  Slieve  Snaght,  separated 
from  the  observer  only  by  the  narrow  valley  in  which  are  nestled  Loughs  Dunlewy  and 
Nacung,  stretch  out  to  the  right  and  left,  while  beyond  them  is  an  ever-widening  circle 
of  mountains,  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  restless  Atlantic,  and  stretching  away  to  the 
south  and  east  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach.  No  finer  view  exists  in  Ireland  than  the 
wondrous  panorama  stretched  out  before  the  observer  who  sits  upon  the  top-most  peak 
of  Errigal,  and  no  better  position  for  rapidly  acquiring  the  topography  of  Donegal  could 
possibly  be  desired.  Although  the  side  of  the  mountain  facing  Dunlewy  looks  danger- 
ously steep  when  viewed  from  below,  the  writer  had  no  difficulty  in  descending  on  that 
side,  and  rejoined  his  car  after  an  absence  of  two  hours. 

No  visitor  to  Gweedore  should  miss  Glenveagh.the  most  famous  of  Donegal 
valleys.  The  way  to  see  it  in  all  respects  to  the  best  advantage  is  to  take  a  car  from 
Gweedore,  drive  past  Lough  Nacung,  and  the  southern  side  of  Errigal,  through  what  is 
known  as  the  valley  of  the  Calabber.  From  the  water-shed  separating  the  valleys  of  the 
Owenbeg  and  the  Calabber  a  grand  mountain  view  is  obtained.  On  the  left  Errigal, 
Aghla  More,  Aghla  Beg,  and  Muckish  lift  up  their  mighty  masses  ;  on  the  right  stand 
the  peak  and  slopes  of  Mount  Dooish,  and  in  front  a  fine  distant  view  is  obtained  over 
Creeslough.  Some  miles  beyond  this  crest  the  road  turns  to  the  right,  crosses  the 
Glenveagh  River,  and  runs  for  some  miles  along  the  southern  shore  of  Lough  Veagh. 
Near  the  farther  end  of  the  lou^h  stands  a  modern  building,  a  blot  rather  than  an  adorn- 
ment  to  the  landscape,  known  as  the  Castle.  Beyond  the  Castle  the  road  winds  along 
at  the  foot  of  a  well-wooded  slope.  The  opposite  bank  of  both  lough  and  glen  are 
much  wilder.  The  mountains  descend  for  a  thousand  feet  nearly  sheer  to  the  water,  or 
to  the  level  of  the  valley.  At  one  part  a  beautiful  cascade  runs  like  a  snow-white 
thread  down  the  face  of  the  cliff.  Ascending  still  farther  the  scene  grows  wilder  and 
wilder.  Here  the  car  should  be  left  to  return  to  Dunlewy,  and  the  rest  of  the  trip  made 
on  foot.  A  magnificent  walk  enables  the  pedestrian  to  hit  the  head  of  the  Poisoned 
Glen,  a  wild  and  rugged  valley  directly  opposite  to  Mount  Errigal,  and  to  descend 
through  it,  rejoining  the  Gweedore  Road  at  Dunlewy.  By  this  route  a  constant  suc- 
cession of  most  beautiful  mountain  views  is  enjoyed. 

Dunfanaghy,  some  seventeen  miles  from  Gweedore,  is  an  interesting  little  town 

with  a  capital  hotel,  and  a  considerable  amount  of  life  about  it,  by  reason  of  the  mail 

and  tourist  traffic  with  Letterkenny.     The  two  lions  of  the  district  are  Horn  Head  and 

Tory  Island.    The  former  is  a  huge  promontory  jutting  out  into  the  Atlantic,  equipped 

with  all  the  needful  qualities  to  charm  the  eye  and  satisfy  adventurous  spirits  bent  upon 

exploration,  viz.,  bold  cliffs  rising  from  five  hundred  to  seven  hundred  feet  above  the 

sea,  caves  which  can  only  be  visited  by  boat,  natural  arches  and  a  great  puffing-hole 

known  as  MacSwyne's  Gun.     Horn  Head,  so  called  because  when  seen  from  a  certain 

point  of  view  the  cliff  seems  to  possess  two  horns,  forms  a  kind  of  rdtima  thule,  and 

ranks  high  among  the  famous  points  of  the  Donegal  coast.     We  give  an  engraving  of 

a  splendid  natural  arch  to  be  seen  on  the  western  cliffs  of  Horn  Head.     MacSwyne's 

Gun  is  a  rocky  cavern  open  at  the  top,  through  which  the  sea  at  times  forces  waves 

169 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

with  such  tremendous  violence  that  great  blocks  of  stone  are  hurled  up  on  the  shore 
with  a  noise  which,  according  to  the  natives,  can  be  heard  thirty  miles ! 

Tory  Island  is  about  eight  miles  distant  from  the  coast,  and  is  inhabited  by  a  race 
of  fishermen  possessed  of  striking  peculiarities,  like  the  Arran  Islanders.  It  also 
contains  a  ruined  round-tower,  and  a  monastery  is  said  to  have  been  founded  on  the 
island  by  Columba.  It  is  not  an  easy  place  to  reach,  as  the  author  found,  for,  although 
an  expedition  had  been  kindly  planned  for  him,  the  weather  did  not  prove  propitious. 
We  could  have  reached  the  island,  but  the  boatmen  were  by  no  means  certain  when 
we  should  be  able  to  return.  In  fact,  the  best  view  I  had  of  it  was  when  from  the  peak 
of  Errigal  it  looked  like  a  lovely  gem  set  in  the  brilliant  blue  of  the  Atlantic,  and 
appeared  to  be  only  two  or  three  instead  of  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  away.  It  is 
about  three  miles  long  and  one  wide,  containing  about  twelve  hundred  acres,  of  which 
two  hundred  can  be  cultivated.  At  the  northwestern  end  there  is  a  fine  lighthouse. 
The  inhabitants  live  by  fishing,  by  agriculture,  and  by  kelpmaking  ;  the  last  occupation 
is  common  to  many  parts  of  the  Irish  coast,  and  consists  of  collecting  seaweed  on  the 
beach  and  burning  it  into  kelp,  which  was  formerly  purchased  because  of  its  iodine- 
producing  qualities.  The  inhabitants  naturally  are  skillful  in  the  management  of  the 
curragh. 

From  Dunfanaghy  there  are  two  routes  open  to  the  traveler.  The  least  interesting 
is  by  the  mail  road  to  Letterkenny,  where  he  touches  civilization  again  in  the  form  of  the 
railroad  ;  the  other  is  to  make  his  way  around  the  great  inlets  of  the  Atlantic  on  the 
north  coast  of  Donegal  until  he  reaches  Lough  Swilly.  This  route,  unless  he  happens 
to  be  familiar  with  the  country  and  people,  or  to  have  the  assistance  of  local  friends,  is 
somewhat  rough,  and  is  only  to  be  recommended  to  those  who  rate  making  the  acquain- 
tance of  new  country  and  truly  primitive  people  a  higher  pleasure  than  the  mere 
enjoyment  of  creature  comforts.  Such  will  find  the  district  of  Fanet  between  Dunfan- 
aghy and  Port  Salon  on  Lough  Swilly  a  happy  hunting-ground.  Sheephaven  is  the 
first  of  these  great  arms  of  the  sea  which  have  to  be  skirted,  the  road  passing  Creeslough, 
then  running  along  by  the  Duntally  River  and  crossing  the  Lackagh,  that  river  famous 
not  only  for  its  salmon,  but  for  a  great  law-suit  in  the  time  of  the  late  Lord  Leitrim. 
Ards  House,  the  mansion  belonging  to  what  used  to  be  one  of  the  wealthiest  estates  in 
Ireland,  and  Doe  Castle  are  passed,  and  at  every  half-mile  most  charming  views  are 
enjoyed.  Lough  Glen,  Kilmacrenan,  Lough  Salt,  and  Lough  Fern  well  repay  alike  the 
lover  of  the  beautiful,  and  the  angler,  for  the  time  and  attention  he  can  bestow  upon 
them. 

As  a  good  illustration  of  the  ready  wit  and  shrewdness  of  the  Donegal  character, 
we  quote  the  following  story  about  a  "  natheral" — a  term  connoting  very  often  as  much 
knave  as  fool — named  Jemmy.  Jemmy  had  been  brought  up  before  the  magistrate 
on  a  charge  of  poaching,  only  too  well-founded.  Once,  when  carrying  two  fine  hares 
in  a  bag,  a  magistrate  known  as  "  owld  Alick  "  met  him,  and,  on  Jemmy's  assurance 
that  the  bag  contained  a  fine  fox,  wished  to  see  him.  "  Well,  ye  may  be  sure  I  was 
sore  put  to  it,  how  to  keep  him  from  catching  me  with  the  hares,  and  me  coming  aff  his 
land  ;  but  says  I,  '  He's  sthrong  enough,  dear  knows  ;  but  he's  as  wicked  as  a  tithe 
proctor,  and,  if  I  take  him  out  of  the  bag,  I  wouldn't  put  it  past  him  to  make  his  escape 
from  both  of  us;  but  I'll  tell  ye  what  we'll  do,  I'll  howld  the  bag  for  ye,  and  ye  can 
put  in  won  of  yer  hands  and  feel  him.'  And  I  held  the  mouth  of  the  bag  till  him. 
170 


/'    ., 


•■■■W'r" 


■4. 4  & 


THE   NATUEAL   ARCH,    HORN    HEAD. 
'From  a  photograph  by  Lawrence  of  Dublin.) 


77//:  ix  >.\/:i ;.  i  /  m<  ;//■/ .  i  .yds. 

'  Will  he  bite  ? '  says  he.     '  Troth,'  says  I,  '  yc'll  have  to  find  that  out  for  yerself.     How 
do  I  know  what  he  will  do?    I'm  no  prophet,  only  I  know  he  has  nigh  hand  taken  two 
of  the  fingers  aff  me.     But  then  there's  a  wide  differ  between  a  poor  craythur  like  me 
and  a  magisthrate  like  yer  honor.'      When  owld  Alick  heerd  tell  of  biting,  he  wasn't  so 
aiger  for  putting  in  his  hand  ;  and  the  more  he  held  back  the  more  I  held  forrard  the 
mouth  of  the  bag.    At  last  says  he,  'Jemmy,  ye  may  take  away  yer  fox,  and  here's  six- 
pence for  ye  to  drink  my  health  in.'    Och,  he's  an  amadhaun,  that  owld  Alick,  any  way." 
On  the  other  occasion  Jemmy  was  summoned  to  the  Dunfanaghy  Petty  Sessions. 
"  When  I  came  into  the  courthouse,  where   the  magisthrates  were  setting,  there  was 
old  Stodart,    that's   always    hawing  and  humming  as  if  he   had  a  bitther  bad    cold  ; 
and  Captain  Gibbs,    that's  still  cutting  pens  with  a  wee  knife,  and  letting  on  to  mend 
them,   so    as    to  save    the   throuble  of  taking    notes  of  the  thrials  ;  and  young  John 
Nelson,  that   nivir  laves  off  talking,  only  to  put    carrs    [grimaces]  on    his  face  that 
would    frighten    an    owl  ;     and  the   clerk    fella,    Moran,    that    swears    the    witnesses 
and    taches    the    magisthrates    what  they    have  to  do."     Jemmy's  defence   was    that 
he    was    not    sure    of    a    fair    hearing,    and  hence    would    say    nothing.     This   led 
the    magistrates    into    the    somewhat    rash  promise    that    they  would    hear   whatever 
he  wished    to  say    without   interrupting    him.       Jemmy    affirms    that  the    poaching 
was    done   by    "  a    fella   they    call     Johnny     Magrory,    a    poaching    vagabone    that 
lodged      awhile      back      with      Widda      McCann      at      the     crossroads,     that     was 
married  to  Hudy   McCann,    that  was  son  to  him  at  the  Marble  Hill  gate  lodge,  that 
Misther  Stodart  there,  at  the  head  of  the    honorable  binch,  fined  for  obsthructing  the 
police.       For  sure  Hudy  angered  Mr.  Stodart  by  telling  on  him  what  was  his  rayson  for 
opposing  the  setting  up  of  the  Government  milestones  along  the  roads — that  it  was  to 
save  money  out  of  the  car-drivers  ;  for  sure  he  knew  that  he  couldn't  bate  them  down  in 
their  charge  for  the   dhriving,  if  they  had  the  English  milestones  there  to  back  them. 
And — och!  yer  honors,  says  I,  don't  let  Misther  Stodart  look  that  way  at  me  ;  for  sure  it 
wasn't  me  that  towld  of  him  at  all,  but  Hudy  McCann  that  he  turned  aff  from  keeping 
the  gate  lodge  ;  and  then  she  took  in  lodgers.     And  'deed  the  worst  lodger  iver  she 
took  in  was  Johnny  Magrory,  that  was  no  betther  nor  a  born  divil  for  poaching  and  telling 
lies  all  over  the  counthry.     He  wears  a  blue  coat,  and  brass  buttons  on  the  knees  of  his 
breeches  ;  and  he  towld  Sally  Divvor  that  there  was  no  use  in  her  going  to  ask  Captain 
Gibbs  for  any  help,  for  that  he  found  it  came  chaper  to  him  to  swear  at  the  people  that 
asked  for  help,  nor  to  help  them  ;  and  he  set  his  dogs  on  two  owld  weemen  that  came 
till  hall  dhoor  to — och  !  gentlemen  dear,    says  I,  don't  let  Captain  Gibbs  look  that  way 
at  me,  for  it  wasn't  me  that  towld  a  word  about  him,  but  it  was  Johnny  Magrory  ;  and 
'deed  I  don't  belave  it  meself,  for  Captain  Gibbs  niver  set  his  dogs  on  me  at  all,  barring 
wonst  that  he  was  thrying  to  jump   his  horse  over  a  rail,  and   he  tumbled  off  in  the 
shough — and  that  was  enough  to  anger  any  one — and  he  wouldn't  let  me  rub  him  down 
with  my  caubeen  of  a  hat  that  1  offered  to  clane  him  with  ;  for,  says  he  '  I  saw  ye  laugh- 
ing at  me,  ye  blaggard.'     Ye  mind,  Captain  ?     And  the  rid  dog  tore  off  the  tail  of  me 
coat  that  was  give  me  by   yer  honor,  Misther  John    Nelson,  when  it  was  too  rotten  for 
ye  to  wear  it  any  longer  yerself.     And  that  lying  vagabone,  Johnny  Magrory,  said  ye 
gave  it  to  save  giving  me  a  sixpence  at  an  odd  time,  because  it  would  be  aisy  for  ye  to 
say,  '  Have  ye  no  conscience,  Jemmy  Canny,  asking  me  again  for  money,  and  me  gave 
ye  all  that  good  clothing  a  wee  while  ago  ? '     And — och !  yer  honor,  Misther  Nelson, 

173 


IRELA  ND  ILL  US  TRA  TED. 

says  I,  don't  look  like  that  at  me  ;  for  sure  ye  know  I  towld  ye  it  wasn't  me  at  all  that 
said  it,  but  that  vagabone  Johnny  Magrory.  Sure  he  niver  tells  a  word  of  truth  ;  and  I 
don't  know  why  yer  honors  would  think  that  I  would  be  setting  wires  and  gassicks  in 
Misther  Stodart's  lands,  when  it  was  Johnny  Magrory  done  it,  and  not  me  at  all. 

"  Well,  I  went  on  threeping  [insisting]  that  way  on  the  magisthrates  about  Johnny 
Magrory  ;  and  first  won  would  get  angered  with  me,  and  the  others  would  laugh  at 
him  ;  and  then  another  would  get  angered,  and  they  would  laugh  at  him  ;  and  when 
any  of  them  would  thry  to  stop  me  I  would  just  say,  honor  bright,  yer  honors,  ye  prom- 
ised to  hear  me  out.  And  then  they  couldn't  help  themselves,  for  their  word  was 
passed  to  hear  me  to  the  ind.     And  at  last  owld  Stodart  says,    '  We're  only  making  a 


THE   SEVEN   ARCHES,    LOUGH   SWILLY. 

laughing-stock  of  ourselves,  letting  this  fellow  keep  on.'  'But  ye  promised,' says  I; 
and  then  they  all  put  their  heads  thegither,  and  afther  awhile  old  Stodart  says  to  me, 
'  Denndant,  the  binch  have  consinted  to  discharge  ye  this  time  ;  but  mind  ye're  niver 
caught  poaching  again,  or  it'll  be  worse  for  ye.  Now  be  aff.'  So  says  I,  '  Sure,  I'll 
give  that  vagabone,  Johnny  Magrory,  yer  message,  yer  honors  :  I'll  tell  the  poaching 
vagabone  all  ye  say.'  And  then  I  came  away,  and  left  them  laughing  at  won  another, 
and  the  police  laughing  at  them  all,  and  the  people  that  was  waiting  for  justice,  and  ivery 
won.     They'se  amadhauns,  them  magisthrates,  anyway."  z 

After  a  fine  ride  from  the  Lackagh  River,  Mulroy  Bay,  in  some  respects  the  most 
interesting  of  all  these  fjords,  is  reached.  Unlike  Sheephaven  or  Lough  Swilly,  it  is 
broken    up   by  a    multitude   of  islands,  affording  ever-varying  and  ever-fresh  views. 

1  Memoirs  of  a  Month  among  the  "  Mere  Irish,"  pp.  290-296.  This  little  book  gives  a  capital  notion  of  the  life,  habits,  sur- 
roundings, and  superstitions  of  the  Donegal  natives. 

174 


THE  DONEGAL    HIGHLANDS. 

Skillful  boatmen  are  to  be  had,  and  very  enjoyable  sails  can  be  obtained  on  the  bay 
As  the  Atlantic  is  neared  the  shores  get  lower  and  more  rocky  and  bare.  At  the 
extremity  of  the  eastern  headland  is  the  little  fishing-village  of  Ballyhoorisky,  inhabited 
by  a  sturdy  race  of  fishermen,  capital  boatmen,  read)'  when  occasion  serves  to  sail  on 
the  bay,  to  visit  Tory  Island,  and  for  any  other  trip.  One  drawback  is  that  they  will 
chatter  away  in  Irish  to  one  another,  and,  as  that  language  sounds  singularly  inharmo- 
nious to  a  Saxon  ear,  the  inability  to  understand  what  is  said  is  unrelieved  by  sounds 
that  in  themselves  are  pleasing. 

On  one  occasion  the  writer  found  himself  in  this  out-of-the-world  nook.  He  had 
come  hoping  for  a  fine  day  and  a  long  sail  to  Tory  Island.  But  alas !  Nature  was  in  an 
unkindly  mood,  donning  gray  skies  and  letting  fall  a  drizzling  rain.  Beyond  the  village 
broad  spurs  of  rock  covered  with  heaps  of  sand  jut  out  into  the  ocean,  which  was 
breaking  upon  them  with  considerable  force.  Just  as  we  It  ft  the  village  a  procession 
came  down  the  lane.  At  the  head  walked  a  man  in  his  best  apparel,  bearing  aloft  a 
huge  wooden  cross,  then  followed  a  plain  coffin  borne  by  four  men  ;  and  close  after 
this,  walking  two  by  two,  all  in  their  best  dress,  came  what  must  have  been  nearly  the 
whole  population  of  the  village.  The  funeral  was  plain  and  very  touching  from  its 
absolute  simplicity.  It  was  one  of  those  sudden  unexpected  incidents  that  give  at  once 
the  charm  and  the  value  to  travel,  striking  those  deeper  chords  that  vibrate  in  all  hearts. 
Here  too  Death  claimed  his  victims,  here  too  love  and  sympathy  and  kindliness  flourished. 
No  doubt  even  at  Ballyhoorisky  the  bonds  of  custom  are  strong,  and  some  followed, 
possibly,  on  this  account  only  ;  but  the  signs  of  neighborly  fellowship  and  interest  were 
predominant.  As  the  little  procession  wended  its  way  over  the  waste,  the  humble 
cottages,  the  varied  and  subdued  dresses  of  the  mourners,  the  yellow  sand-heaps,  the 
bare  rocks,  upon  which  the  Atlantic  surges  were  hurling  themselves  in  a  heavy  fringe 
of  snow-white  surf,  stood  out  in  sharp  contrast  against  the  clear  background  of  the  steel- 
gray  waters  stretched  out  to  the  distant  horizon.  Over  all  hung  the  dull  sky,  harmon- 
izing well  with  the  scene  of  mourning,  the  combination  uniting  to  form  a  picture  that 
will  live  long  in  the  memory  by  reason  of  its  blending  together  the  uncommon  and 
beautiful  in  Nature  with  the  too  common  manifestation  of  human  frailty  and  sorrow. 

The  country  from  Ballyhoorisky  to  Fanad  and  Port  Salon,  on  Lough  Swilly,  is  inter- 
esting, and  Lough  Swilly's  charms  need  no  panegyric.  In  the  neighborhood  of  Port  Sa- 
lon are  the  noted  caverns  in  the  cliffs,  which  form  the  Seven  Arches,  and  a  little  farther 
north  is  Fanad  Head,  confronted  on  the  opposite  shore  of  the  lough  by  Dunaff  Head. 
From  Port  Salon  in  the  summer  a  steamer  runs  down  the  lough,  passing  Buncrana  and 
Rathmullan  to  Fahan,  where  again  the  rail  is  touched.  The  scenery  along  the  eastern 
shore  of  the  lough,  and  notably  from  Buncrana  to  Dunaff  Head,  by  way  of  the  Gap  of 
Mamore,  is  bold  and  attractive  to  the  pedestrian.  But  it  is  time  we  turned  our  steps  to- 
ward Derry  and  Belfast,  the  great  industrial  centers  of  the  north  of  Ireland. 


175 


QUEEN  B   COLLEGE,   BELFAST. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


Belfast,   Armagh  and  Londonderry. 

ALTHOUGH  the  great  and  busy  capital  of  Ulster  has  been  left  to  one  of  the  last 
chapters  of  this  book,  that  fact  must  by  no  means  be  interpreted  as  any  indication 
of  the  relative  importance  of  that  powerful  center  of  industry.  The  chief  aim  of  the 
present  volume  has  been  to  indicate  the  most  picturesque  parts  of  Ireland,  giving  the 
greater  promise  to  the  less  known  and  less  frequented  districts.  But  any  book  on  the 
country  would  be  imperfect  which  did  not  devote  considerable  space  to  a  city  second  in 
Ireland  in  point  of  population,  and  in  many  respects  the  first  and  most  important  as  a 
great  center  of  commercial  life. 

As  in  the  case  of  Liverpool,  Glasgow,  and  other  great  ports,  the  growth  of  Belfast 
has  been  both  recent  and  rapid.  The  references  to  it  in  the  early  records  are  brief  and 
slight ;  in  fact,  its  history  may  be  said  to  begin  about  1612,  when  Sir  Arthur  Chichester, 
ancestor  of  the  present  Donegal  family,  received  from  Charles  I.  a  charter  for  the  colony 
from  Devonshire,  which  he  had  planted  on  the  shores  of  the  lough.  At  the  beginning 
of  this  century  it  numbered  about  twenty  thousand  inhabitants,  and  at  the  last  census 
considerably  over  two  hundred  thousand  !  The  day  seems  not  far  distant  when  it  will 
outstrip  Dublin  in  population. 

It  is  admirably  situated  for  the  purposes  of  a  great  shipping  center,  standing  on 

the  River    Lagan,  at    the    head    of  Belfast    Lough.       Much   of  the    older  part  of  the 
176 


BELFAST,   ARMAGH,   AND  LONDONDERRY, 


town  occupies  ground  only  a  l\:w  feet  above  the  level  of  the  lough,  and  in  earlier 
days  floods  were  frequent  and  epidemics  were  Far  too  common  ;  but  improved  drain- 
age and  attention  to  modern  sanitary  requirements  have  greatly  improved  this  state 
of  affairs. 

Like  Dublin,  Belfast  is  rich  in  suburban  beauty.  In  the  eastern  part  of  the  town 
and  along  the  north  shore  of  the  lough  the  land  slopes  up  from  the  water,  reaching  in 
the  Cave  Hill,  which  forms  a  very  prominent  object  in  the  landscape,  an  elevation  of  over 
eleven  hundred  feet.  In  this  direction  are  many  of  the  splendid  houses  of  the  rich  Bel- 
fast merchants  ;  and  not  in  this  direction  only,  but  wherever  around  the  city  suitable 
sites  exist,  they  are  occupied  by  the  men  who  have  at  once  enriched  themselves  and 
built  up  the  business  prosperity  of  the  capital  of  the  north. 

Belfast  is  clean  and  free  from  smoke  ;  the  streets  are  well  laid  out,  and  contain  hand- 
some municipal  buildings,  churches,  colleges,  shops,  and  private  houses.  The  chief  thor- 
oughfares are  Donegal  Place,  Castle  Street,  Donegal  Street,  High  Street,  and,  the 
most  recent  and  finest  of  all,  Royal  Avenue. 

Until  the  last  few  years  Belfast  was  to  a  considerable  extent  open  to  the  charge  that 
she   was  so   engrossed  in   money-making  and  in- 
dustrial   enterprise,   as   to   be   indifferent    to    her 
outward  appearance.       But  if  this  accusation  were 
well-grounded  in    the   past  there    is  little 
basis    for    it   to-day.      In   both   public   and 
private  buildings  Belfast  can  hold  her  own 
with    her    oreat  commercial   rivals    in   the 
United    Kingdom.      Such  buildings  as  the 
Custom-House,  the    Town    Hall,  the  new 
Post-Office,  the  Belfast,  the  Ulster,  and  the 
Northern  banks,  and  the  Albert  Memorial 
are    ornaments   to    any    city.      Handsome 
bridges,  also,  cross  the  Lagan. 

Religion    and    education    are  zealously 
cared  for  in  the  city.     The  stranger  can  not 

fail  to  be  struck  by  the  number  and  the  excellence  of  the  churches  and  colleges. 
Carlisle  Circus  is  adorned  with  two  splendid  buildings  ;  St.  Enoch's  Church,  the  finest 
and  most  imposing  building  belonging  to  the  Presbyterians,  and  the  Carlisle  Memorial 
Church,  a  handsome  Methodist  Church,  built  by  a  wealthy  merchant  in  commemoration 
of  his  son,  who  died  young.  On  every  hand  Presbyterian  churches  are  to  be  met  with. 
The  chief  Protestant  Episcopal  buildings  are  St.  George's  Church,  in  High  Street; 
St.  Ann's  Church,  in  Donegal  Street,  and  Christ  Church,  in  College  Square  North. 
Roman-Catholicism  is  represented  by  St.  Malachi's,  in  Alfred  Street,  and  St.  Patrick's, 
in  Donegal  Street. 

Education  is  represented  in  Belfast  by  the  Royal  Academical  Institution  and  Gov- 
ernment School  of  Art,  the  Queen's  College,  a  large  and  commodious  building,  and 
the  Model  School,  where  over  twelve  hundred  children  receive  daily  instruction.  The 
special  requirements  of  ministerial  training  are  met  by  the  Presbyterian  College  and  the 
Methodist  College.  The  former  institution  occupies  a  fine  site  at  the  extremity  of  the 
Botanic  Avenue,  and  faces  upon  University  Square.     The  cost   was  met  by  voluntary 


CASTLE  PLACE,  BELFAST. 


IRELA XD  ILLUSTRA  TED. 


contributions,  and  it  was  opened  by  Merle  d'Aubigne  in  1853.  The  faculty  consists  of 
a  president  and  five  professors,  whose  chairs  prior  to  1S71  were  endowed  by  the  state 
to  the  amount  of  one  thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  year.  Recently  Magee 
College,  at  Londonderry,  a  large  building  occupying  a  fine  site  overlooking  the  Foyle, 
has  been  erected,  and  is  also  carried  on  as  a  college  for  Presbyterian  ministers.  A  few 
years  ago  the  theological  professors  of  the  two  colleges  were  constituted  the  Presby- 
terian Theological  Faculty  (Ireland),  and  em- 
powered to  grant  the  usual  degrees  in  theology 
equal  to  those  conferred  by  any  university  in  the 
United  Kingdom. 

The  Methodist  College,  opened  in  1868,  cost 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  dollars, 
and  is  an  extensive  and  handsome  pile  of  build- 
ings. It  comprises  a  theological  institute,  a  col- 
legiate department  in  connection  with  Queen's 
College,  and  a  boarding  and  a  clay  school. 

It  is  needful  that  a  few  words  should  be  said 
about  the  religious  condition  of  Ireland,  and 
these  naturally  occur  in  connection  with  the 
great  Protestant  stronghold  of  the  country. 
The  religious  forces  that  have  influenced  Ireland 
in  the  past,  and  that  are  most  powerfully  influ- 
encing her  to-day,  run  in  the  three  channels 
represented  by  the  Roman-Catholic,  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal,  and  the  Presbyterian  churches. 
Of  these  the  first  is  all-powerful  in  the  south 
and  west  and  in  County  Donegal.  The  second, 
by  reason  of  its  connection  in  the  past  with  the 
state,  has  a  network  of  buildings  and  parson- 
ages over  the  whole  country.  The  third  is  most 
powerful  in  counties  Antrim,  Down,  and  Lon- 
donderry. 

The  Roman-Catholic  section  far  outnumbers 
all  the  others  put  together,  comprising,  according 
to  the  1881  census,  3,951,818  adherents.  It 
wields  enormous  power,  owing  to  the  fact  that  it 
forms  an  integral  part  of  the  life  of  the  people, 
is  essentially  the  church  of  the  "  mere  Irish," 
and  a  very  large  proportion  of  the  priesthood 
comes  from  the  tenant-farmer  and  peasant  class. 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of  Ireland  numbered,  according  to  the  census  of 
1 88 1,  639,574  adherents.  Since  1 87 1  the  supreme  governing  body  has  been  the  General 
Synod,  which  meets  annually,  and  is  composed  of  the  archbishops,  bishops,  208  clerical 
and  416  lay  representatives.  There  are  also  twenty-one  diocesan  synods  under  the 
control  of  the  General  Synod.  The  "  Book  of  Common  Prayer"  has  been  revised  and 
slightly  altered,  but  the  "  Thirty-Nine  Articles  "  of  the  Church  of  England  were  adopted 
*7* 


THE    ALBERT    MEJIOKIAL. 


BELFAST,   ARMAGH,  AXD  I.OXDOXDERR1\ 


unchanged.  The  invested  capital  of  the  Church  amounts  to  about  thirty-five  million 
dollars.  The  great  educational  center  is  at  Trinity  College,  Dublin.  To  this  Church 
belong  many  of  the  wealthier  and  of  the  official  class  of  the  country.  The  Act  of  1869 
severed  its  connection  with  the  state,  and  all  interested  in  the  religious  welfare  of 
Ireland  heartily  wish  the  Episcopal  Church  prosperity  in  its  reliance  to  a  much  larger 
•extent  upon  voluntaryism.     On  the  once  bitterly  controverted  question  whether  the 

Church  should  be  con- 
nected with  the  state, 
and  whether  the  dises- 
tablishment was  a  just 
act  or  not,  opinions  may 
and  probably  still  do  dif- 
fer. But  the  experience 
of     history    should    give 


THE  LINEN-HALL,   BELFAST. 


-confidence  for  the  future  to  all  the 
■earnest  workers  and  well-wishers  of 
the  Episcopal  Church. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  of  Ire- 
land, according  to  the  census  of  1881, 
numbered  485,503  adherents.  Of 
these  the  vast  majority  reside  in  central 
and  northeastern  Ulster.  Into  the 
various  Christian  activities  of  this 
branch  of  the  Church  we  have  no 
space  to  go.  Although  doing  good 
work  in  many  parts  of  the  country, 
it  is  chiefly  among  the  agricultural  and 
commercial  classes  of  Ulster  that  the 
great  body  of  their  adherents  is  found. 
The  ecclesiastical  affairs  are  admin- 
istered   by    the    General    Assembly, 

which  meets  annually,  having  under  its  control  thirty-six  presbyteries,  more  than  five 
hundred  churches  and  six  hundred  ministers.  The  communicants  number  considerably 
over  one  hundred  thousand.  It  raises  annually  for  religious  and  philanthropic  purposes 
more  than  seven  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  a  year ;  and  it  controls  the  two 
colleges  already  described.  No  careful  observer  can  fail  to  see  signs  of  still  greater 
•prosperity  for  this  Church  in  the  future.  In  addition  to  these  three  great  bodies  there 
are  also  scattered  through  the  country — each  body  doing  very  good  service — Methodist, 

'Congregational,  and  Baptist  churches. 

1:9 


A  GROUP  OF  BELFAST  OPERATIVES. 


IRE  LA  KD    TT.  L  US  TRA  TEE. 

Belfast  is  not  only  the  center  of  a  strong  religious  and  philanthropic  life,  it  is  also 
the  oreat  commercial  and  manufacturing  center  of  Ireland.  The  linen  trade  is  the  great 
staple,  and  many  large  linen-factories  and  flax-spinning  mills  are  to  be  seen  there. 
Naturally  many  other  business  occupations  flourish  there  also.  Such  firms  as  Musgrave 
and  Company,  Marcus  Ward  and  Company,  Harland  and  Wolff  have  a  world-wide 
reputation.  Yet,  while  in  Belfast  all  the  varied  industries  that  necessarily  center  in  a 
city  of  over  two  hundred  thousand  inhabitants  are  to  be  seen  in  full  activity,  the 
stranger  will  naturally  devote  his  attention  to  the  two  chief — the  linen  manufacture  and 
shipbuilding.  At  such  an  institution  as  the  York  Street  Spinning-Mills  he  can  stud) 
the  former  to  advantage,  and  at  Messrs.  Harland  and  Wolff's  the  latter. 

Belfast  is  a  capital  center  for  trips  to  noted  towns  and  districts  in  Ulster.  Armagh, 
one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  Ireland,  and  the  seat  of  the  must  ancient  Irish  archbishopric, 
is  only  a  few  miles  distant.  The  town  occupies  the  slopes  of  a  hill  which  is  very  finely 
crowned  by  the  handsome  pile  of  the  Cathedral.  The  Roman -Catholic  Cathedral  is 
also  magnificently  placed  on  Banbrook  Hill.  The  narrow  streets  with  their  ancient 
appearance  harmonize  with  the  great  antiquity  of  the  place.  They  are  clean  and  neat, 
and  the  whole  town  wears  an  air  of  prosperity  and  extreme  respectability.  Dr.  Reeves, 
a  great  authority  on  ecclesiastical  affairs,  writes  :  "  No  city  is  so  rich  in  historical  asso- 
ciations, and  yet  has  so  little  to  show  and  so  little  to  tell  in  the  present  day,  as  Armagh. 
St.  Patrick's  first  church  is  now  represented  by  the  Bank  of  Ireland  ;  the  Provincial 
Bank  comes  close  on  St.  Columba's  ;  St.  Bride's  shares  its  honors  with  a  paddock ; 
St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul  afford  stabling  to  a  modern  rus  in  tirbe  ;  and  St.  Mary's  is  lost 
in  a  dwelling-house." 

No  city  in  western  Europe  has  been  burned  or  plundered  more  frequently.  In  very 
ancient  days  it  was  noted  for  Emania,  the  seat  of  Ulster  sovereignty  and  of  the  Knights 
of  the  Red  Branch,  and  later  on  for  the  Damhliag  Mor,  or  Great  Church,  built  by  Pat- 
rick, the  great  school  or  university,  and  the  royal  cemetery  ;  but  except  the  first,  none  of 
these  have  left  any  Laces.  The  present  cathedral  in  all  probability  stands  on  the  site  of 
the  stone  building  which  St.  Patrick  founded,  and  was  begun  about  i  2G8.  It  has  under- 
gone many  vicissitudes,  and  has  been  restored  within  comparatively  recent  years.  It  is 
well  worth  careful  study,  and  it  stands  upon  a  site  that  for  fourteen  centuries  has  been 
consecrated  to  Christian  worship.  The  Archbishop  of  Armagh  is  Primate  of  Ireland, 
and  such  men  as  Ussher,  Hoadley,  and  Robinson  have  held  the  office. 

The  Giant's  Causeway,  the  favorite  trip  from  Belfast,  will  be  dealt  with  in  the  next 
chapter.  A  main  line  of  rail  runs  to  Londonderry,  passing  some  famous  and  some 
very  pretty  places.  At  Antrim  there  is  a  noted  round-tower,  very  perfect  and  standing 
in  a  beautiful  park.  Antrim  Castle,  near  to  the  town,  is  one  of  the  many  celebrated 
Irish  residences.  It  is  the  seat  of  Lord  Massarene,  and  is  situated  in  very  lovely  coun- 
try. In  fact,  for  quiet  rural  beauty  County  Antrim  can  take  high  rank.  About  three 
miles  from  Antrim,  on  the  shores  of  Lough  Neagh,  stand  the  remains  of  Shane  O'Neil's 
Castle,  for  ao-es  the  seat  of  that  powerful  family,  and  still  the  home  of  their  descendants. 
Lough  Neagh  is  the  largest  lake  in  the  United  Kingdom,  being  twenty  miles  long, 
twelve  wide,  eighty  in  circumference,  and  embracing  nearly  one  hundred  thousand  acres. 
The  Bann,  which  runs  into  the  Atlantic  through  Coleraine,  is  the  only  outlet  for  its 
waters.  From  the  picturesque  point  of  view,  the  absence  of  mountain  scenery  places  it 
at  a  great  disadvantage  when  compared  with  many  others  in  Ireland. 

i3o 


BELFAST,  ARMAGH,   AXD  LONDONDERRY. 

Farther  north  still  is  Ballymena,  a  thriving  town,  and  an  important  center  of  the  linen 
trade.  It  is  the  best  point  from  which  to  approach  classic  ground  in  Irish  story.  Only 
three  miles  distant  is  Broughshane,  inseparably  linked  with  St.  Patrick's  history ;  three 
miles  farther  is  the  hill  of  Slemish,  where  Patrick  lived  as  a  slave,  and  where  he  saw 
those  visions  and  dreamed  those  dreams  which  God  afterward  enabled  him  to  put  into 
action  for  the  benefit  and  blessing  of  the  Irish  nation. 

On  reaching  Coleraine  we  have  passed  into  the  county  of  Derry,  in  which  this  town 
holds  second  rank.  It  is  prettily  situated  on  the  Bann,  and  is  noted  for  linens,  for  whisky, 
and  for  salmon  fishery.  There  is  a  noted  salmon-leap  about  a  mile  above  the  town,  the 
road  to  it  along  the  west  bank  forming  a  very  pleasant  walk.  Much  of  the  land  in  and 
about  the  town  belongs  to  the    Irish  Society.      The  fishery  is  no  doubt  very  profitable. 


ANTRIM   CASTLE. 


but  one  can  not  help  feeling  that,  were  the  salmon-leap  swept  away  and  the  navigation 
of  Lough  Neagh  made  available  by  improving  the  course  of  the  Bann,  it  might  in  the 
end  be  better  for  the  country  at  large. 

The  next  place  beyond  Coleraine  is  Castlerock,  a  delightful  watering-place.  It  pos- 
sesses a  beautiful  sandy  beach  upon  which  the  great  Atlantic  rollers  break  in  a  way  that 
affords  ceaseless  enjoyment  to  the  eye  and  the  ear.  On  either  hand  superb  views  are  ob- 
tained— to  the  east,  over  Port  Stewart  and  the  Giant's  Causeway  ;  to  the  west,  over 
Inishowen  and  the  Donegal  coast  around  the  head  of  Lough  Foyle.  It  is  deservedly  a 
popular  and  a  favorite  summer  resort.  There  are  very  good  drives  in  the  neighborhood; 
and  traces  in  the  way  of  buildings  and  traditions  survive  of  the  eccentric  Earl  of  Bristol, 
whom  the  public  opinion  of  the  last  century  tolerated  in  the  See  of  Derry. 

Derry  is  more  closely  associated  with  England  than  many  other  Irish  towns.  The 
Irish  Society  of  London  owns  a  large  part  of  the  town  and  neighborhood,  and  has 
considerable  influence  over  its  affairs.     The  famous  siege  is  one  of  the  few  Irish  events 

181 


IRELAXD   ILLUSTRATED. 

with  which  every  schoolboy  is  acquainted.  The  large  ocean  steamers  of  the  Allan  and 
Anchor  lines  call  at  Moville,  the  port  of  Derry.  The  city  is  also  the  center  of  a  busy 
industrial  life.  Powerful  religious  forces  act  and  react  upon  its  thirty  thousand 
inhabitants. 

Derry's  chief  historical  associations  bring  together  a  very  remote  and  a  compara- 
tively recent  past.  The  city  is  indissolubly  linked  to  the  life  of  Columba  ;  it  did  its 
part  manfully  in  the  seventeenth-century  struggle,  and  it  exhibits  to-day  great  activity, 
push,  and  industry,  strengthening  rather  than  losing  its  grasp  on  the  life  of  the  age. 

Lough  Foyle  is  another  arm  of  the  Atlantic  running  inland  parallel  with  Lough 
Swilly  and  Mulroy  Bay.  A  few  miles  to  the  north  of  Londonderry  it  contracts  into  the 
River  Foyle.  A  bend  in  the  river  forms  upon  the  left  bank  a  peninsula,  and  upon  this 
hilly  promontory,  around  which  the  Foyle  sweeps  in  a  fine  curve,  the  old  city  was  built. 
The  hill  rises  to  an  elevation  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  above  the  river,  and 
makes  a  most  picturesque  site  for  the  city.     The  Foyle  is  here  a  stream  over  three  hun- 


LONDONDEKRY. 

dred  yards  wide,  and  is  crossed  by  a  handsome  bridge.  The  modern  city  has  long 
since  outgrown  the  ancient  limits,  has  spread  in  all  directions  on  the  left  bank,  and  has 
occupied  advantageous  sites  on  the  steep  slopes  of  the  right  bank  of  the  Foyle.  From 
the  hill  which  rises  high  above  the  bridge,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Foyle,  a  capital 
bird's-eye  view  of  the  city  and  its  surroundings  may  be  obtained.  On  this  bank  stands 
the  terminus  of  the  Coleraine  and  Belfast  Railway.  Both  sides  of  the  river  are  lined 
with  quays,  for  the  city  possesses  a  large  coasting  and  colonial  shipping  trade.  The 
regular  stopping  of  the  Atlantic  liners  at  Moville  has  made  Derry  an  emigration  center, 
and  on  the  quays,  as  at  Cork,  that  sight  can  often  be  seen  which  is  full  of  sinister  omen 
for  a  thinly  populated  country  like  Ireland ;  viz.,  groups  of  strong,  young,  able-bodied 
men  and  women,  the  real  stamina  of  the  nation,  waiting  to  embark  on  the  tender  which 
will  carry  them  off  to  the  great  steamer,  never  to  return  to  the  land  of  their  birth. 

The  name  Derry  is  an  epitome  of  its  history.     It  is  the  anglicized  form  of  the  Irish 

word  doire  or  daire,  meaning  an  oakwood.     It  enters  into  an  immense  number  of  Irish 

names,  and  wherever  it  occurs  indicates  that  once  an  oak-forest  flourished  there.     The 

pagan  name  was  Daire- Calgaich,  the  oakwood  of  Calgach.     In  546  Columba  founded 

182 


BELFAST,  ARMAGH  AND  LONDONDERRY. 


THE    BISHOP  S    GATE,    LONDONDERRY. 


monastery  lure  ;  for  <  ■  the  old  name 

h  kl  Its  ground,  but    about    the  tenth  century 
it   was  1   by  Derry-Columb  Kille.     This 

remained  the  name  until  the  reign  of  James  I., 
when  the  change  of  o  hip  resulted  in  the 

change  of  name  into  Londonderry} 

As  already  noted,  Columba  was  born  at 
Gartan,  a  wild  Donegal  district,  in  52 1.  He 
spent  much  of  his  boyhood  at  a  place  called 
Temple  Douglas,  at  Kilmacrenan.  According 
to  the  annals  of  Ulster,  he  founded  the  church 
at  Derry  when  he  was  only  twenty-five.  No 
trace  of  the  original  building,  which  was  known 
as  the  Black  Church,  survives.  "  Its  round- 
tower  was  standing  in  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, but  the  only  record  of  its  existence  now 
remaining  is  the  name  of  the  lane  which  leads 
to  its  site,  the  Long  Steeple."  * 

Londonderry  practically  dates  from  the  Plantation  of  Ulster.  The  county  was  held 
in  early  times  by  the  O'Cathans,  or  O'Kanes,  who  were  tributary  to  the  O'Neils. 
Upon  the  overthrow  of  that  powerful  sept,  and  the  confiscation  of  their  estates,  in  1609, 
Derry,  Coleraine,  and  the  adjacent  territory  were  awarded  to  the  citizens  of  London, 
sixty  out  of  every  thousand  acres  being  reserved  for  the  Church,  and  some  portions 
being  given  to  three  native  Irish  gentlemen.  The  Common  Council  of  London  agreed 
to  spend  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  upon  the  district,  appointed  twenty-six  men  to 
manage  it,  and  called  them  the  Irish  Society,  kept  for  itself  Derry  and  Coleraine,  and 
parted  the  rest   of  the    land  among  twelve  of  the  London  livery  companies.     In  1637 

their  charter  was  cancelled  ;  Cromwell  re- 
stored the  society,  and  Charles  II.  grant- 
ed a  new  charter.  Over  one  huncl  ed  and 
fifty  thousand  acres  are  thus  held  by  the 
Irish  Society  and  the  companies,  among 
the  latter  the  chief  proprietors  being  the 
Skinners,  34,000  ;  the  Drapers,  27,000; 
the  Mercers,  21,000;  and  the' Fishmong- 
ers, 20,000. 

London  soon  began  those  works 
which  have  fastened  its  name  upon  Derry. 
In  1609  the  walls  were  built  at  a  cost 
of  over  forty  thousand  dollars.  They 
are  still  perfect,  and  now  form  a  pleasant 
promenade  about  a  mile  in  extent.  There 
are  six  gates.  These  walls  are  as- 
sociated with  the  famous  siege,  and 
upon     them     stand     the    lofty     monu- 


BOMBSHELL  AND  TABLET  IN  THE  PORCH  OF  LONDON- 
DERRY CATHEDRAL. 

1  it  fr'sh  .Vira'.i  of  Paces  I J  'yce),  pp.  503.  504. 


*  Reeves's  edition  (  f  Adaninr.n's  Life  of  Cohtmba,  p.  277. 

l3i 


IRELAND    ILLUSTRATED. 


ment  to  the  Rev.  George  Walker  and  the  old  gun  known  as  Roaring  Meg.  Into 
the  story  of  the  siege  of  1689,  which  lasted  one  hundred  and  five  days,  of  the 
sufferings  endured  by  the  garrison,  of  their  heroism,  and  of  the  final  battle  at  the  Vorn 
which  raised  the  siege,  we  have  no  space  to  enter  in  detail. '  For  popular  purposes 
Macaulay's  account  is  perhaps  sufficient  ;  those  who  wish  to  make  a  special  study  of  it 
can  not  do  better  than  consult  Dr.  Witherow's  Derry  and  Enniskillen  in  16S9. 

The  Cathedral  of  Derry  owes  its  existence  to  London.  It  dates  from  1633,  and  in 
the  porch,  which  also  contains  a  bombshell  fired  into  the  town  during  the  siege,  stands 
a  tablet  which  runs  : 

"  If  stones  could  speak,  then  London's  praise  should  sound, 
Who  built  this  church  an.l  city  from  the  ground." 

The  building  consists  of  a  nave  and  two  aisles  separated  from  each  other  by  pointed 

arches.      It  has  been   recently  enlarged  by  the  addi- 
tion of  a  choir.      Over  the  entrance  is  a  large  organ 
with    very  finely  carved    wood,   said  to   have   been 
taken  from  one   of  the   Armada   wrecks.       A 
large   tower  surmounted  by 


a  spire 
western 
cathedral 

the  tower  a  splendid  view  is  ob-     roaring  meg  and  walker's  monument,  Londonderry. 
tained.      The  whole  city  lies   at 

the  observer's  feet,  enabling  him  to  recognize  readily  all  the  important  buildings 
and  sites,  and  to  watch  the  various  signs  of  commercial  activity.  At  the  same  time 
he  commands  on  every  side  a  wide  prospect  over  the  pretty  surrounding  country. 

A   very   extensive  shirt  manufacture   is  carried  on  in  Derry,  not  the  weaving  pro- 

1  The  story  deserves  a  place  here  and  would  prove  more  instructive  than  some  topics  already  treated  at  great  length  by  our 
author.  Charlotte  Elizabeth  has  given  a  thrilling  picture  of  the  Siege  of  Derry,  of  the  loyalty  and  fortitude  of  the  martyr*,  dying 
one  after  another  by  starvation  when  the  cats  and  d  >gs  had  been  eaten  ;  of  the  moonlight  evening  when  Letitia  and  her  mother  were 
killed,  while  sleeping,  by  a  boaib,  and  of  the  burial  scene  just  before  day  dawn,  when  staggering  skeletons  stood  about  the  de.d  and 
each  gave  his  word  rf  witness  and  comfort.  One  remarked,  "  These  came  out  of  great  tribulation  ;"  another,  "  The  noble  armv  of 
martvrs  praise  Thee."  '•  They  shall  hunger  no  more."  spoken  by  a  famished  mother  with  a  hungry  babe  at  her  dry  breast,  while  a 
sch  o'boy  whUpeud  in  La'in  his  grateful  tribute,  "  Dulct  et  decorum  est  pro  palria  rnori." — Ed. 
184 


BELFAST,  ARMAGH,  AXD  LONDOXDERRF. 

cess,  but  the  making  up  of  all  kinds  of  shirts.  Th  fa  ies  very  large,  and  employ 
a  considerable  number  of  hands,  a  very  large  proportion  being  women  and  girls.  A 
visit  to  one  of  them  introduces  the  stranger  to  many  processes  of  interest.  The  in 
genious  knives  for  cutting  out  large  quantities  of  collars,  cuffs,  etc.,  at  a  time,  the 
minute  subdivision  of  labor,  the  enormous  number  of  sewing-machines,  and  its  general 
air  of  rapid  work  and  prosperous  trade  have  a  stimulating  effect,  after  a  journey 
through  the  wilds  of  Donegal  or  Connemara. 


Vit, 


THE   CHIMNEY-TOPS,   GIANTS   CAUSEWAY. 


CHAPTER  X. 


The  Giant's  Causeway  and  the  Mourne  Mountains. 


"PHE  Giant's  Causeway  is  the  only  part  of  Ireland  which  rivals  Killarney  in  wide- 
-*■  spread  fame  and  in  general  popularity.  The  traveler  who  has  reached  Belfast  by 
the  rapid  and  comfortable  express  train  on  the  Great  Northern  Railway,  or  who  has 
come  from  Fleetwood  direct  by  boat,  has  two  routes  open  to  him — direct  by  rail  or 
along  what  is  called  the  Coast  Drive.  Should  he  come  by  the  shortest  sea-route,  viz., 
from  Stranraer  to  Larne,  at  the  latter  place  he  is  already  one  stage  on  the  journey.  If 
time  presses,  the  quickest  route  is  by  the   Belfast  and   Northern  Counties  Railway  to 


loO 


CARRICK  A  REDE. 


THE  GIANTS  CAUSEWAY  AXD  THE  MOURNE  MOUNTAINS. 

Portrush.  But  if  the  weather  be  fine  ami  time  no  great  object,  by  far  the  best  and  for 
the  lover  of  the  beautiful  the  most  enjoyable  route  is  to  follow  the  Coast  Road  from 
Larne  to  the  Causeway. 

Portrush,  only  a  few  miles  north  of  Coleraine,  is  a  fashionable  and  popular  seaside 
resort.  It  is  connected  with  the  Causeway  by  an  electric  tramway,  the  first  built  in  the 
United  Kingdom.  This  is  worked  from  Bushmills,  and  has  been  planned  so  as  to  enable 
visitors  to  enjoy  as  much  as  possible  of  the  fine  coast  scenery  which  is  passed  during  the 
ride.  The  line  b<  gins  to  ascend  very  soon  after  leaving  Portrush,  and  splendid  views 
over  the  coast  and  the  ocean  are  obtained.  At  a  distance  of  three  and  a  half  miles  Dunluce 
Castle  appears,  the  ancient  stronghold  of  the  M'Ouiilans.  It  is  an  extremely  pictur- 
esque ruin,  standing  upon  the  very  verge  of  a  cliff  which  rises  high  above  the  sea,  and 
which  is  connected  with  the  mainland  only  by  an  arch  forming  a  path  about  eighteen 
inches  wide.  The  clustered  gables,  walls,  arches,  and  towers  are  all  in  ruins.  It  is  well 
to  be  content  with  the  distant  view.  Closer  inspection  adds  nothing  to  the  charm  as  a 
compensation  for  the  nervous  excitement  of  crossing  the  narrow  arch. 

Two  or  three  miles  farther  the  line  strikes  inland,  and  Bushmills,  the  headquarters 
of  the  tramway  company,  is  reached.  All  who  are  interested  in  the  practical  working 
of  the  line  should  stop  here  long  enough  to  inspect  the  building  where  the  electricity  is 
generated.  That  it  is  generated  may  be  proved,  not  only  by  the  demonstration  of  being 
carried  there  in  a  car  supplied  with  no  other  motive  force,  but  by  taking  slight  shocks 
from  the  rail. 

Bushmills  is  a  neat  little  place,  noted,  like  Coleraine,  for  distilling,  and  also  for 
salmon-fishing.  The  River  Bush  runs  past  it  into  the  ocean,  and  about  a  mile  above 
the  town  rushes  impetuously  on  its  way  through  a  beautiful  little  glen,  thus  forming  a 
salmon-leap.  The  old  mills  stood  here,  but  they  were  removed  to  make  room  for  the 
apparatus  by  which  the  electricity  is  generated.  The  water  from  the  upper  reaches  of 
the  river  is  brought  to  the  building  by  a  race,  and  a  head  of  twenty-six  feet  of  water  is 
obtained.  By  this  means  driving  force  which  can  be  worked  up  to  a  hundred  horse- 
power is  obtained,  and  by  an  ingenious  mechanical  arrangement  it  is  imparted  to  the 
powerful  dynamos  in  the  building.  The  supply  can  be  easily  regulated,  and  the  testing- 
instruments  are  all  very  interesting.  The  very  pretty  surroundings  enhance  the  pleasure 
of  a  visit. 

From  Bushmills  a  short  run  takes  the  car  to  the  terminus,  which  is  only  a  stone's- 
throw  from  the  Causeway  Hotel.  Since  the  opening  of  the  tramway  this  has  been 
greatly  improved.  The  writer  recalls  a  visit  some  years  ago,  when  after  a  long  day's 
drive,  the  latter  part  through  mist  and  rain,  he  arrived  damp  and  weary,  and  found  the 
appearance  of  hotel  and  rooms  extremely  depressing,  and  the  lack  of  creature-comforts 
very  considerable.  He  recently  spent  a  night  there,  and,  although  it  rained  a  deluge 
and  blew  a  hurricane,  the  snugness  was  all  that  could  be  desired.  The  whole  place  has 
been  refurnished,  new  reception-rooms  added,  and  the  cheerful  electric  light,  supplied 
from  Bushmills,  now  adds  greatly  to  the  comfort  of  the  visitor. 

The  Causeway,  like  Killarney,  suffers  from  a  plague  of  guides.  Escape  from  them 
is  well-nigh  impossible.  The  best  thing  is  to  take  one  from  the  hotel,  and  keep  rigidly 
to  the  arrangement  by  which  his  services  are  included  in  the  bill.  It  is  a  great  mis- 
fortune that  the  visitor  should  not  be  able  to  roam  at  will  about  this  magnificent  piece 

of  coast  scenery.     There  are  few  places  better  fitted  to  arouse  wonder  at  the  marvelous 

1S9 


I  RE  LA  ND  ILL  US  TRA  TED. 

works  of  God  in  nature  ;  there  are  few  spots  even  along  the  grand  west  coast  that 
contain  so  much  to  delight  the  eye  and  the  mind.  But  the  horde  of  guides,  and  the 
constant  expectation  that  the  next  turn  of  the  path  will  bring  you  either  to  a  beggar  or 
a  seller  of  spring-water,  or  to  a  vender  of  the  minerals  of  the  neighborhood,  goes  far  to 
banish  all  the  higher  enjoyments  of  the  place. 

The  first  view  of  the  Causeway  is  not  unfrequently  such  a  contrast  to  what  imagina- 
tion has  pictured  that  there  is  disappointment  and  a  temptation  to  run  to  extremes  in 
denouncing  previous  descriptions.  But  as  the  true  nature  of  the  coast  is  comprehended, 
as  the  beautiful  forms  of  the  pillars  are  appreciated,  and  as  one  after  another  the  many 
o-eolocucal  marvels  of  the  region  are  noted,  these  feelings  disappear.  In  their  place 
comes  a  truer  realization  of  the  grandeur  of  the  scene.  "Along  the  north  coast,"  writes 
Professor  Hull,  "the  scenery  is  often  bold  and  striking  ;  sometimes,  as  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  Giant's  Causeway,  the  cliffs  rise  from  the  sea  in  a  series  of  terraces  of  dark 
columnar  basalt,  with  vertical  walls,  and  separated  from  each  other  by  bands  of  reddish 
bole,  or  volcanic  ash.  These  great  beds  or  terraces  represent  successive  lava-flows,  and 
they  differ  from  one  another  not  only  in  thickness  but  in  the  size  and  arrangement  of  the 
columns.  At  other  times,  as  at  Fair  Head,  directly  opposite  the  Mull  of  Kintyre,  huge 
columns  of  basalt  descend  from  the  top  of  the  cliff  in  one  or  two  sheer  vertical  sweeps 
for  several  hundred  feet,  while  at  the  base  of  the  cliff  the  shore  is  strewn  with  broken 
columns  of  trap  heaped  up  in  wild  confusion  :  a  Titanic  breakwater  which  the  waves  of 
the  sea  have  reared  up  against  their  own  advance."  1 

The  best  way  to  get  a  good  general  idea  of  the  beauty  and  boldness  of  the  coast 
about  the  Causeway  is  to  take  a  boat  and  row  westward  to  Porthcoon  and  to  Dunkerry 
Caves.  The  boat  can  easily  enter  both  in  fine  weather,  the  only  time,  when  the  row  is 
practicable.  Porthcoon  is  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long  and  forty-five  feet  high, 
and  exhibits  fine  coloring,  owing  to  the  presence  in  the  rocks  of  peroxide  of  iron.  Dun- 
kerry is  much  larger,  being  six  hundred  feet  long  and  ninety-six  feet  high.  To  those  who 
like  this  class  of  natural  phenomena  the  trip  may  be  recommended  ;  others  may  be  apt  to 
feel  that  there  is  in  the  caves  hardly  enough  to  compensate  for  the  boat  trip,  the  damp 
atmosphere,  the  rather  strong  sea-weedy  odors,  and  the  persistent  way  in  which  the 
boatmen  try  to  sell  you  boxes  of  geological  specimens,  which  are  utterly  unreliable,  and 
probably  have  been  carried  to  the  Causeway  with  an  eye  to  large  profits. 

On  leaving  the  caves,  the  boat  turns  eastward,  and  runs  along  the  splendid  coast  for 
either  a  short  or  a  long  trip,  as  the  traveler  decides.  Those  who  enjoy  being  on  the 
water  should  extend  the  trip  as  far  as  Benmore  or  Fair  Head.  The  usual  excursion  is 
much  shorter.  Running  past  the  Causeway  proper,  all  the  bays  and  headlands  as  far 
as  Pleaskin  are  seen,  and  then  the  boat  returns  and  lands  the  passengers  upon  the 
Causeway.  This  consists  of  an  enormous  number — about  forty  thousand — of  basaltic 
columns,  only  a  few  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  jutting  out  from  the  cliffs,  of  the 
same  formation,  rising  two  or  three  hundred  feet  immediately  behind  them.  They 
gradually  sink  beneath  the  waves,  forming  a  most  magnificent  natural  pier.  How  far 
beneath  the  waves  they  extend  is  not  known.  But  as  the  same  formation  exists  at 
Staffa,  it  is  commonly  supposed  that  they  extend  across  to  the  Scotch  coast.  The  Celtic 
imagination  has  settled  that  the  Causeway  was  the  work  of  the  giant  Fin  McCoul,  whose 
Scotch  rival  boasted  of  his  ability  to  thrash  him,  but  objected  to  getting  wet  in  crossing 

'  Physical  Geography  of  Ireland,  pp.  61,  62. 
190 


THE  GIANTS  CAUSEWAY  AND  THE  MOURNE  MOUNTAINS. 


fci;- 


THE   LADLES'   CHAD!,   GIANT'S  CAUSEWAY 


to  do  so.  Whereupon  Fin  magnan- 
imously  built  the  Causeway  and  defeated  his 
rival.  In  latter  days,  on  the  disappearance 
of  the  giants,  the  Causeway  sank  beneath 
the  waves. 

A  perverse  ingenuity  is  shown  here  in 
twisting  every  group  of  pillars  into  some  con- 
nection with  the  giant,  just  as  at  Killarney 
one  is  pestered  with  the  O'Donoghue's 
honeycomb  and  book  and  pulpit,  ad  nauseam. 
The  giant's  loom  and  gateway  and  organ  are 
indicated  by  the  loquacious  guide,  who  gen- 
erally accompanies  his  absurd  information 
with  the  query  as  to  whether  his  victim  has 
ever  seen  anything  so  fine  in  his  life.  If 
the  proprietors  of  the  Causeway  Hotel  could 
provide  a  few  intelligent  men,  able  to  point 
out  the  geological  marvels  of  the  district  with  some  approach  to  accuracy,  they  would 
confer  a  boon  upon  travelers.  Large  numbers  who  visit  the  Causeway  despise  the  non- 
sense that  is  talked  at  present ;  but  for  want  of  knowing  exactly  what  to  see,  they  fail 
altogether  to  appreciate  the  unique  claims  which  the  Causeway  has  upon  our  wonder 
and  admiration. 

It  ought,  in  fairness  to  the  guides,  to  be  mentioned  that  when  upon  the  Causeway 
itself  they  do  enable  the  visitor  who  displays  any  interest  in  the  subject  to  appreciate 
the  wonderful  regularity  of  formation  of  the  pillars,  and  the  beautiful  way  in  which  they 
are  grouped.  The  ladies'  chair,  the  fan,  the  honeycomb,  etc.,  are  the  fanciful  names  for 
what  are  very  striking  ar- 
rangements of  the  pillars. 
The  guides  also  assert  that 
there  is  only  one  triangular 
pillar,  three  with  nine  sides, 
comparatively  few  with  four 
and  eight  sides,  the  over- 
whelming majority  having 
either  five,  six,  or  seven 
sides. 

The  clusters  known  as 
the  Giant's  Loom  and  Gate- 
way stand  at  the  eastern 
cliff  end  of  the  Causeway, 
and  are  beautiful  specimens 
of  the  formation.  A  splen- 
did cluster  on  the  face  of 
the  cliff  is  called  the  Giant's 


Or^an.      In   one 


part,    in- 


stead of  the  vertical,  a  hori- 


THE    HOP.IZONTAL   FORMATION,    GIANT'S    CAUSEWAY. 

191 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 


zontal  formation 
can  be  clearly 
seen, the  ends  of 
the  pillars  being 
at  right  angles  to 
the  cliff. 

But    fully     as 
wonderful  as  the 
Causeway,     and 
much    more   im- 
pressive, are  the 
mighty     masses 
of  the  Amphithe- 
ater,    a     superb 
semicircular    cliff,    in 
which  the  pillars  occur 
in    stages;     the  Chim- 
neys, a  cluster  of  pillars 
standing  on  the  apex  of 
a   bold    headland;    and 
the   grand    cliff,   nearly 


PLEASKIN    HEAD,    GIANT'S   CAUSEWAY. 


four  hundred  feet  high,  named  Pleaskin  Head.  All  along  these  cliffs  the  pillar  clusters 
and  masses  of  richly  colored  rocks,  seen  under  a  bright  sky,  and  washed  by  a  sunlit 
sea,  constitute  a  gallery  of  the  most  delightful  and  exhilarating  natural  pictures. 

But  we  must  push  on,  and  follow  the  road  along  the  coast  to   Larne.     Just  as   in 


192 


THE  GIANT'S  CAUSEWAY  AND  THE  MUURNE  MOUNTAINS. 


Norway,  travelers  wishing 
to  see  the  Romsdal  to  per- 
fection should  approach  it 
through  the  quieter  scen- 
ery of  the  Gudbrandsdal, 
so  the  Causeway  should 
be  approached  rather  than 
left  by  this  route.  It  is  true 
that  Fair  Head  is  grander 
far  than  anything  the 
Causeway  can  show,  but 
that  is  really  a  part  of  the 

same  piece  of  coast.     The 

road  passes    many    points 

of  interest  which  can   only 

be      inspected      leisurely. 

Dunseverick    Castle,    and 

Carrick  a  Rede,  the  island 

which  can  only  be  reached 

by  the    perilous   swinging 

bridge,     are    within   'easy 

reach    of    the    Causeway. 

For  Fair  Head  Ballycastle 

is  the  starting-point,  a  little 

town  where  good  accommodation  is  to  be  had.     It  is  also  a  good  point  from  which 

to  reach  Rathlin  Island,  another  of  those  coast  trips  which  depend  so  entirely  upon 

the  weather.     The  island  possesses  very  fine  cliffs,  and  only  one  harbor,  which  is  avail- 

193 


GREY   MAN  S   PATH. 


IRELAND  ILLUSTRATED. 

able  during  westerly  winds,  the  commonest  along  this  coast.  Columba,  here  as  in  so 
many  other  places,  is  said  to  have  founded  a  church  ;  and  Robert  Bruce  not  only  found 
a  safe  refuse  on  the  island,  but  is  also  said  to  have  derived  his  encouragement  from 
the  famous  persevering  spider  while  concealed  in  the  castle  still  known  by  his  name. 

Benmore,  or  Fair  Head,  is  fitly  described  as  the  climax  of  the  Antrim  coast.  It  rises 
six  hundred  and  thirty-nine  feet  above  the  sea,  and  half  of  this  is  taken  up  by  huge  col- 
umns of  greenstone  thirty  feet  wide.  Through  an  enormous  chasm  in  the  cliff  a  path 
runs,  by  which  a  good  view  of  the  face  of  the  headland  is  obtained.  It  may  be  explored 
without  danger,  if  reasonable  care  is  exercised.  Across  the  top  of  the  chasm,  which  is 
called  the  Grey  Man's  Path,  a  huge  pillar  has  fallen,  forming  a  natural  bridge.  From 
the  top  of  the  headland  is  a  magnificent  view  extending  to  the  Scotch  coast,  and  over 
Rathlin  Island,  and  away  beyond  the  Causeway  to  the  distant  shores  of  Inishowen. 

Leaving  Ballycastle,  the  road  runs  through  pleasant  country  by  way  of  Cushendun 
and  Cushendall  to  the  coast,  which  it  then  skirts  closely  all  the  way  to  Larne.  It  first 
passes  around  Red  Bay  and  Garron  Point.  Here  is  Garron  Tower,  built  by  the  late 
Frances  Ann,  Marchioness  of  Londonderry,  and  bequeathed  by  her  to  a  younger 
brother  of  the  present  marquis.  From  Garron  Point  to  Glenarm  a  constant  succes- 
sion of  very  charming  views  is  enjoyed,  the  sea  and  coast  scenery  being  every  here 
and  there  varied  by  beautiful  inland  peeps. 

Larne  is  well-situated,  and  has  a  good  harbor.  Hence  the  return  journey  to  Belfast 
is  made  by  way  of  Carrickfergus  and  White  Abbey.  At  the  former  there  are  some 
very  interesting  remains,  the  chief  being  the  old  Anglo-Norman  castle  ;  it  dates  from 
1 178,  and  occupies  a  strong  position  on  a  rock  which  overlooks  Belfast  Lough. 

One  other  beautiful  district  of  Ireland  lies  within  easy  reach  of  Belfast,  viz.,  Ros- 
trevor  and  the  Mourne  Mountains.1  This  district  lies  between  Belfast  and  Carlingford 
Louo-hs.  The  latter  is  very  beautiful,  the  shores  being  well  wooded,  and  the  hills  rising 
steeply  from  the  water.  The  town  of  Carlingford  lies  on  the  southern  shore,  and,  like 
Carrickfergus,  contains  an  ancient  Anglo-Norman  castle,  but  not  in  such  a  good  state  of 
preservation.  On  the  north  shore  is  Rostrevor,  a  noted  and  very  lovely  little  watering- 
place.  There  are  not  wanting  those  who  put  it  at  the  head  of  the  watering-places 
of  the  United  Kingdom.  The  little  town  stands  between  two  rivers,  and  be- 
hind it  Rostrevor  Mountain  rises  up  nearly  sixteen  hundred  feet.  The  rail- 
road ends  at  Warrenpoint,  four  miles  from  Rostrevor,  and  a  splendid  drive 
can  be  taken  around  the  coast  to  Newcastle,  where  the  railroad  from  Down- 
patrick  stops.  By  this  route  Kilkeel  is  passed.  Newcastle  is  a  formidable  rival 
to  Rostrevor,  and  is  the  best  point  from  whence  to  visit  Slieve  Donard,  the 
hio-hest  point  of  the  Mourne  Mountains.  It  attains  a  height  of  two  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  ninety-six  feet,  and  affords  a  view  of  great  extent,  not  only  over  the  whole 

1  Rostrevor  combines  almost  every  element  of  mral  and  marine  scenery,  and  il  is  the  favorite  resort  of  the  wealthy  classes  during 
the  summer.  Narrowwater  Castle,  on  the  road  thither,  and  the  legends  of  six  hundred  years,  invest  its  moldering  walls  with  r\ 
somber  interest.  Here  a  jealous  lord  impnsoned  his  beautiful  Spanish  wife,  who  sat  and  wept  in  her  wave-washed  cell,  as  Bonnivard  at 
Chillon,  till  grief  "  worked  like  madness  in  her  brain."  With  lute  in  hand  she  sang  her  wild  Iberian  song,  and  the  boatmen  as  they 
passed  the  prison  at  evening  would  hear  her  pensive  voice — 

' '  In  sounds  as  of  a  captive  lone 
That  mourns  her  woes  in  tongue  unknown." 

The  villas,  shady  walks,  and  odorous  gardens  of  Warrenport  and  "the  Vale  of  Arno,  called  the  Temple  of  Ireland,  with  its  grows  of 
sycamore  and  pine  and  arbutus,  and  the  amphitheater  of  encircling  mountains,  arrest  attention  (Dr.  Thwing's  Outdoor  Life  in  Europe, 
p.  16).     The  model  village  of  Bessbrook,  a  noble  monument  to  the  late  Hon.  John  Grubb  Richardson,  is  worthy  description.— Ed. 
194 


THE  GIANT'S  CAUSEWAY  AND  THE  MOURNE  MOUNTAINS. 

group  of  mountains  of  which  it  forms  a  part,  but  inland,  over  Xewry,  to  Slieve  Gullion  ; 
to  the  north  over  the  fertile  County  Down  ;  to  the  south  as  far  as  Howth  ;  and  over  the 
Irish  Sea  to  the  hills  of  the  Isle  of  Man.  On  the  return  journey  to  Belfast,  Downpatrick 
should  by  all  means  be  visited.  Here,  according  to  the  Tripartite  Life,  St.  Patrick  was 
buried,  and  tradition,  with  less  probability,  asserts  that  St.  Columba  and  St.  Brigid  were 
also  interred  here.  St.  Patrick  founded  a  monastery  at  Downpatrick  very  early  in  his 
Irish  labors.  The  present  cathedral  dates  only  from  1 790.  A  very  fine  rath  exists  in  the 
town,  and  a  Druidic  Ring,  only  three  miles  distant.  On  the  road  to  this  are  the  Wells 
of  Struel,  a  famous  place  of  pilgrimage. 


"  FAREWELL,  YER    HONOR !" 

(from  a  sketch  by  Charles  Whymper.) 


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